A Professor of Psychology at Temple University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Hirsh-Pasek was declared a “scientific entrepreneur” by the American Association of Psychology. Writing 14 books and 250+ publications, her Einstein Never Used Flashcards won the Book for a Better Life Award in 2003 with her Becoming Brilliant (2016) reaching the NYTimes Best Sellers List in education. Co-founder of the global Learning Science Exchange Fellowship, she brings together scientists, journalists, policy makers and entertainers, to put learning science in the hands of educators. Her newest initiative Playful Learning Landscapes re-imagines cities and public squares as places with science infused designs that enhance academic and social opportunities. Read her newest book Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice (2022) co-written by teachers, school administrators and scientists to bring about joyful teaching and deeper learning.
“Is creativity a superpower in early education?” – EdSource, September 4, 2024
“Singing the ABC song. Learning the days of the week from a nursery rhyme. Making a finger-painted collage of little handprints. Arts education has always been center stage in early education because little children are naturally creative, filled with wonder and the burning desire to express themselves. Arts and crafts not only help nurture a child’s natural imagination, they also boost small motor skills, sharpen hand-eye coordination and feed the insatiable need to play.” READ MORE….
“When Smartphones Get Smarter, Do We Get Dumber?” – Zero Hedge via Epoch Times, August 26, 2024
“With 60 percent of the global population—and 97 percent of those under 30—using smartphones, technology has inadvertently become an extension of our thinking process. However, everything comes at a cost. Cognitive outsourcing, which involves relying on external systems to collect or process information, may increase one’s risk of cognitive decline….” READ MORE…
UC Irvine School of Education to host ribbon-cutting for ‘Playful Learning Landscapes’ – August 2024
UC Irvine’s School of Education, in partnership with the city of Santa Ana, Northgate Market and the Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative, is enriching everyday spaces populated by families with playful learning opportunities for children. This ribbon-cutting ceremony will celebrate the installation of a giant abacus at the bus stop on Main Street and McFadden Avenue as well as new educational signage inside the Northgate Market across the street. The signs and interactive exhibits are designed to spark conversations about science and math, increase familial discussion and promote learning.
“Including young children with disabilities lights a path toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals” – Brookings Institute, July 24, 2024
“Every child has a superpower. Yet, those with disabilities often do not have full access to quality education and other services that would enable them to use their superpower to positively and fully contribute to society. A recent workshop on inclusion in early childhood, held as part of the Center for Universal Education’s symposium on education systems transformation for and through inclusive education, asked whether focusing on the early years of a child’s life might offer a window of opportunity to catch, remedy, and maybe even reverse a child’s development trajectory so all countries can reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” READ MORE…
The latest tweets on Science & Learning
A fabulous overview article by our very own @blhassinger who shows the collective power of Playful Learning Landscapes! #playfullearning @playfullearng @JournalUrbanism
AI is an exquisitely good synthesizer but not an exquisitely good thinker. Thank you @Makai Allbert for this article.
We are so excited to launch in Santa Ana! @UCIrvine @playfullearng @Bustamante_AS #PlayfulLearningLandscapes
Kathy's work appears in news publications around the world.
Check out some of the latest...
“Is creativity a superpower in early education?” – EdSource, September 4, 2024
“Singing the ABC song. Learning the days of the week from a nursery rhyme. Making a finger-painted collage of little handprints. Arts education has always been center stage in early education because little children are naturally creative, filled with wonder and the burning desire to express themselves. Arts and crafts not only help nurture a child’s […]
Read full story >
“When Smartphones Get Smarter, Do We Get Dumber?” – Zero Hedge via Epoch Times, August 26, 2024
“With 60 percent of the global population—and 97 percent of those under 30—using smartphones, technology has inadvertently become an extension of our thinking process. However, everything comes at a cost. Cognitive outsourcing, which involves relying on external systems to collect or process information, may increase one’s risk of cognitive decline….” READ MORE…
Read full story >
UC Irvine School of Education to host ribbon-cutting for ‘Playful Learning Landscapes’ – August 2024
UC Irvine’s School of Education, in partnership with the city of Santa Ana, Northgate Market and the Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative, is enriching everyday spaces populated by families with playful learning opportunities for children. This ribbon-cutting ceremony will celebrate the installation of a giant abacus at the bus stop on Main Street and McFadden […]
Read full story >
Some of Kathy's books include:
Making Schools WorkBringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice
User’s Manual for the Quick Interactive Language Screener™: English–Spanish (QUILS™: ES)A Measure of Vocabulary, Syntax, and Language Acquisition Skills in Young Bilingual Children
User’s Manual for the Quick Interactive Language Screener™ (QUILS™)A measure of Vocabulary, Syntax, and Language Acquisition Skills in Young Children
Becoming Brilliant:What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children
A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool:Presenting the Evidence
Stay in the know
Kathy is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she contributes articles to her Blog on a regular basis.