Dr. Dawnita Gallo Mentors a Student in presenting at a Conference

Dr. Dawnita Gallo Mentors a Student in presenting at a Conference

Dr. Dawnita Gallo and Melanie Roehl, senior Early Childhood Education Major, facilitated a 90 minute session at the MN Association for the Education of Young Children 2023 Annual Conference. Dr. Gallo and Ms. Roehl, during the presentation, entitled Using Guided Play (without Co-Opting the Play) to Enhance Development illustrated how to use guided-play in a mixed-age preschool classroom. An important characteristic of play is that it be child-led. Guided-Play allows for the play to be led by the child, while the teacher, through intentional statements and questions, can guide the child to use higher-level thinking skills, without co-opting the play itself from the child. The audience included early childhood educators from around the state of Minnesota.