Katie Keier has been a classroom teacher and literacy specialist in grades 1-8 for nineteen years. As she starts her twentieth year in education, she will be teaching Kindergarten for the first time. A National Board Certified Teacher in the area of literacy, Katie has a Reading Specialist certificate and a master’s degree in Literacy Studies. She has participated in Literacy Collaborative for three years and is trained in Leveled Literacy Intervention. Katie also participated in the Kennedy Center’s Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) program for five years. Katie is an adjunct faculty member for American University (teaching the following courses - Play and Learning, Children’s Literature: A Critical Literacy Approach, and Literacy through Technology, Media and the Arts) and conducts staff development workshops.
Katie is available for a wide variety of professional development opportunities. Please see the Workshops page for a list of workshops she can present with Pat Johnson. Katie also presents workshops on play and learning for preschool through primary grade teachers.
Playful Learning – A Day All About Play
We will explore the power of play as enjoyment for all children, as a learning tool and as a key component of early childhood programs. Participants will leave with specific activities and classroom structures that support playful learning across the curriculum, as well as a collection of professional literature supporting play as a teaching tool.
Our work will focus on understanding the importance of play and playful learning in early childhood programs while exploring practical ways of making play a key part of the curriculum.
We will:
- Become aware of current professional books and research regarding play as critical and significant to a child’s development – participants will be provided with numerous articles as well as titles of books for further professional reading
- Consider ways to effectively incorporate and encourage play in current and future teaching situations (designing classroom space, creating a daily schedule, allowing multiple opportunities throughout the day for play, etc.)
- Explore playful learning through the lens of common curricular topics (literacy, mathematics, science, social studies), as well as through the arts, popular culture, and outside play
Contact Katie at: katieannkeier@gmail.com
