In Defense of Childhood – Play and Active Learning in Urban Schools - Conference on March 13, 2010

Thursday, March 11

A conference - sponsored by CCNY President Paaswell and the Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation, the Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education of the School of Education, and the Psychology Department of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - held  in honor of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in memory of Professor Emeritus Lillian Weber, whose work honored the active nature of learning and furthered the cause of equity in education.

Saturday, March 13th, 2010, 9-4pm
Aronow Theater in the North Academic Center (NAC)
Convent Avenue @ 138th Street, New York, New York 10031

Registration is now closed.

This conference will address growing concerns in the research and educational communities about the dangers to childhood in our society, most specifically the drastic reductions in opportunities for active learning and play in children's lives – both inside and outside of schools. Research about how play and active learning are critical for children's learning and their development as well as about other issues that constitute dangers to childhood will be presented along with strategies for what educators can do in response. A special focus will be on how these issues can be addressed in high need schools in urban communities.

A morning plenary will feature guest speaker Joan Lombardi, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It will be followed by am and pm workshops where participants can learn about strategies to support children’s active learning. A recently released film, “When Learning Comes Naturally” will be shown at a pm plenary. Book and educational materials vendors will be present.

Those attending for credit will be required to attend a follow-up session on Friday, March 19th from 4-8:30pm.

Co-sponsors:
Alliance for Childhood
New York City Early Childhood Professional Development Institute
The CCNY School of Education Retired Faculty Association
The Child Development Institute, Sarah Lawrence College

Conference Conveners:  Beverly Falk, Professor and Director of the Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education, the School of Education, The City College of New York and William Crain, Professor of Psychology, The City College of New York

Schedule of Events

Workshop Descriptions