Our Vision
Our coaching model helps teachers recognize and implement guided play with their preschool and kindergarten students as a best practice in play-based learning. Guided play provides opportunities for child-led educational activities while integrating the support of teachers in pursuit of a learning goal that can be integrated into the activities themselves. In this way, it is teacher-initiated (i.e., the teachers set up the environment to foster desired learning outcomes and provide support), but student-directed (i.e., the students retain agency as they learn, engaging with the materials, their peers, and their teacher). Guided play seamlessly incorporates evidence-based principles of how children learn and promotes the 6 Cs of what they need to learn.
In New Hampshire, our goal is to:
- Increase guided play experiences that are child-directed and teacher-facilitated.
- Increase teachers' capacity to leverage the joy of play to allow children to connect authentically with content.
- Increase opportunities for children to co-construct their learning with their teachers and peers.
Our Approach
Our model uses embedded practice-based coaching to support and empower preschool and kindergarten teachers as they facilitate guided play. The playful learning principles (i.e., active learning, engaged learning, etc.) and "6 Cs“ are intentionally flexible. This enables teachers to exercise their professional discretion to develop activities that simultaneously align with their curricular learning objectives, the playful learning principles, and their students’ backgrounds and experiences inside and outside the classroom. The goal is for teachers to implement at least one hour of guided play per day at the conclusion of the coaching experience. The coaching process is highly collaborative and individualized with each participating teacher receiving support from one of our instructional coaches.
- Coaching cycles include goal planning, focused observation, and reflection and feedback conducted in collaboration with our teachers.
- Guided play provides a framework to expand teachers’ existing curriculum and supports the use of evidence-based practices.
- The coaching team leads focused play-based learning workshops statewide for early childhood educators and administrators supporting children from pre-K through third grade. As of 2024, coaches have provided professional development to educators from nearly 70% of NH’s SAUs.
- The coaching team provides embedded coaching in an effort to help teachers translate knowledge of guided play into their classroom practices. As of 2024, coaches have supported 135 teachers representing about one-fourth of NH school districts.
Our Coaching Model
- Individualized (co-designed with the teacher)
- Intensive (every 2 weeks)
- Sustained (6 months)
- Context-specific (embedded in the classroom)
- Focused specifically on increasing guided play experiences
UNH Early Learning Coaches Reflect on the
2019-2020 Play-based Learning Coaching Program
New Hampshire Kindergarten Teachers Reflect on the Impact of the 2019-2020 Play-based Learning Coaching Program
Dr. Kimberly Nesbitt, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and primary investigator for New Hampshire's Preschool Development Grant (PDG), is conducting evaluative research on the efficacy of the embedded practice-based coaching approach, including effects on:
- Teacher’s philosophy, understanding, and perspective on guided play
- Classroom behaviors and interactions
- Children’s academic and socio-emotional skills and the 6Cs
For more information about play-based learning initiatives and research, contact:
Kimberly Nesbitt, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
University of New Hampshire
Kimberly.Nesbitt@unh.edu
