ECRC Past Events |

Vanderbilt Early Childhood Research Collaborative Symposium and Launch Event

Our Early Childhood Research Collaborative Symposium and Launch Event was held in the Wyatt Center Rotunda on March 27. Keynote speaker Kathy Hirsh-Pasek discussed "Active playful learning: Where the science of learning meets education."

In addition, guests will enjoyed flash talks from ECRC core faculty, student poster presentations and a reception.

Faculty Flash Talks by Core Area

Language and Literacy: Tatiana Peredo; Elizabeth Biggs

Math: Melissa Gresalfi; Kelley Durkin

Cognitive and Motor: Justine Hoch

Emotional and Social: Autumn Kujawa; Miriam Lense

Policy: Jason Chow; Jonathan Seiden

Keynote Speaker: Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University and senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, has been described as a “scientific entrepreneur” by the American Association of Psychology. She examines the development of early language and literacy, the role of play in learning, and learning and technology.

The author of 18 books and hundreds of publications, Hirsh-Pasek has won numerous awards in her field including being inducted into the National Academy of Education and the Association of Children’s Museum’s Best Friend to Kids Award. Vested in translating science for lay and professional audiences, her 2016 book Becoming Brilliant was on The New York Times bestseller list in education. Making Schools Work was released in late fall of 2022, and her most recent book, Einstein Never Used Flashcards, was released January 20, 2026.

Launch Event Agenda

1:15-1:30 p.m.

Doors Open, Check-in, and Seating

1:30-1:40 p.m.

Director’s Welcome, Remarks from Dean Camilla Benbow and Introduction of Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

1:40-2:40 p.m.

Keynote Speech by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

2:40-3:10 p.m.

Poster Session 1

3:10-3:35 p.m.

Flash Talks Session 1

3:40-4:10 p.m.

Poster Session 2

4:15-4:45 p.m.

Flash Talks Session 2

4:45 p.m.

Closing

Speaker giving a presentation in front of a room full of academics

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D March, 2026

Active Playful Learning: Where the science of learning meets education.

The “factory model” of education that dominates classrooms around the world is outdated. Our current model of education neither prepares students to thrive in the 21st century nor does it address systemic inequalities. In our Brookings Big Ideas Piece (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2020), A new path to education reform, and in Making Schools Work (Hirsh-Pasek et al, 2022), we argue for a developmentally appropriate pedagogy built on the latest science of learning while offering a children rich curricular approach to learning. This approach was a cornerstone of UNESCOs Happy School’s movement (2024) and of recent work from the OECD arguing against the increased schoolification in education (OECD, 2020, p. 33).

Our model addresses these recent trends through work in what we call Active Playful Learning (APL). It uses a 3-part equation, based in the science of learning, to realize this goal. We start with cultural contexts that embrace community funds of knowledge that children bring to our classrooms. We then add the "how" of learning such that if we teach in ways that capitalize on how brains learn, children are more likely to retain and transfer their knowledge. Third, we add "what" the children need to know to thrive in a world dotted with Chat GPT, and with workplaces that will later require them to expand their repertoire of outcomes to include a breadth of skills, 6Cs -- collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation, and confidence (grit and growth mindset).

In this talk, we demonstrate how this equation has been used to design an evidence-based pedagogical approach that is being evaluated in a longitudinal study in the US along with how it is being used to support community-based, out of school enrichment in communities, and in digital media. We also talk about why Education Week announced in January, that Play-Based Learning is coming back and entering into US State policies.

Session 1 Flashtalks

Birthday Party Game: Novel Measures of Social Reward Processing in Young Children

Host: Autumn Kujawa
Talk Summary: Alterations in social reward processing are thought to play a role in pathways to depression and other emotional disorders. While these processes can be reliably assessed at the neural level in older children and adolescents, few validated measures exist for younger children. This talk introduces a novel game, Birthday Party, designed to elicit neural responses to positive and negative peer feedback in preschool and early school-age children using EEG. I will also briefly describe an ongoing longitudinal study using the task to examine trajectories of reward processing across early childhood as predictors of emotional problems.
Global Norms for Early Childhood Development: Specificity and Universality in ECD

Host: Jonathan Seiden
Talk Summary: Children around the world achieve developmental milestones that vary in their universality and specificity. Universal milestones are achieved similarly across cultures and contexts whereas specific milestones are constrained by variations in children's linguistic and cultural environments. Cross-contextual comparisons must be based on "universal" milestones to avoid biased conclusions, but identifying true cultural differences rather than those stemming from other environmental factors is a challenge. With the Global Scales for Early Development, the WHO is currently leading a multi-country study to do this and potentially create global norms for early childhood development.
The Value of Increasing Mathematical Learning Opportunities in Early Childhood Classrooms

Host: Kelley Durkin
Talk Summary: To help teachers make better use of classroom materials and infuse more math and play in early childhood classrooms, we developed fun and adaptable math activities for small groups and centers as part of the Development and Research in Early Mathematics Education Network. We extensively examined how these activities were implemented in pre-k classroom settings. Currently, we are conducting a randomized experiment to see if there are differences in teachers' practices and beliefs and children's behavior and math learning depending on whether they received our activities or not. Teachers find the activities easy to use and appreciate their adaptability.
Early Book Sharing in Latino Families

Host: Tatiana Nogueira Peredo
Talk Summary: Latino families are reported to engage less in book sharing activities with their young children-yet our research shows Latino families in the US find book sharing to be important and something they desire to engage in with their young children. Results of two intervention studies that utilize book sharing as a context for early language intervention in Spanish will be reviewed. Future research embeds this model into primary care as an add on to existing interventions that focus on providing access to books. Application of the approach in South America will be discussed.

Session 2 Flashtalks

PRESS-Play: Promoting Positive Parent-Child Interactions through Musical Play

Host: Miriam Lense
Talk Summary: Music and rhythm are ubiquitous in early parent-child interactions, with musical experiences shaping social-emotional dynamics at the level of the individual, dyad, and community group. In the Music Cognition Lab at VUMC, we conduct mechanistic and applied research harnessing music to support social development in young typical and autistic children. This research reveals how musical interactions provide a natural platform for potentiating positive, responsive caregiving behaviors that support child development. Given the essential role of the social environment in learning and development, musical experiences provide a rich and multifaceted context for supporting young children and families.
The Development of Exploratory Behavior

Host: Justine Hoch
Talk Summary: Independent locomotion is an important milestone in the development of exploratory behavior. Once mobile, infants gain unprecedented access to the larger world and can decide for themselves where to go and what to do. As a result, locomotion triggers cascades of development across psychological domains. Given these benefits, caregivers and clinicians may wish to encourage locomotion. But unlike cognitive, linguistic, and social skills, where gaining the requisite experience largely relies on others, developing motor skills requires infants to generate their own input for learning. My work characterizes the factors that influence infants' spontaneous locomotion and promote skill learning and generalization.
Play as a Productive Disruption for Mathematics Learning and Identity

Host: Melissa Gresalfi
Talk Summary: In this talk, I will overview findings from the Playful Learning Project that relate to the ways that play serves to productively disrupt what mathematical thinking looks like, who is positioned as mathematically competent, and what, ultimately, "good teaching" entails.
Play and Read with Me: Making Early Literacy Accessible for All Children

Host: Elizabeth Biggs
Talk Summary: Language and literacy are critical for young children, but typical instruction may not be accessible for children with disabilities-particularly who have limited speech. We developed Play and Read with Me, an intervention embedding vocabulary, letter names and sounds, and phonological awareness within shared reading and play. The intervention uses augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), including a phonetic keyboard that produces letter sounds. Using a single-case experimental design, we piloted the intervention with seven 4-8-year-old children: three prelinguistic communicators and four early linguistic communicators. Results showed improvement for both groups. Educators and families rated the intervention as effective and important.

Poster Sessions