All interested are invited to participate to our conference entitled "The Power of Play in Early Childhood for Curious, Creative and Exploring Children"

Date, Time and Location of Conference

Sunday, October 14, 2018

10:30 – 14:30

Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences - B Building, G102

ODTÜ Üniversiteler Mah. Dumlupınar Blv. No:1 06800 Çankaya, Ankara

Registration

Please click here to register

Speakers

 Brent Hutcheson, Director of Care for Education

Learning with Play in Early Childhood

Brent Hutcheson is a director of two companies - Hands on Technologies & Care for Education NPO, an Ashoka fellow and a teacher. He is also the LEGO Foundation partner for Africa. He taught for over 10 years and during this time developed a passion for working with children and a strong desire to change the way schools work with children. He believes that learning should take place through construction rather than instruction, and that many more concrete, tactile tools or manipulatives should be used, not only to stimulate and encourage the learners, but to greatly accelerate the conceptualisation process and to allow children to become more inventive, curious and creative.

Asst. Prof. H. Özlen Demircan, METU Department of Early Childhood Education

STEM Education in Early Childhood: Is There a Way?

H. Özlen Demircan completed her undergraduate education at Middle East Technical University (METU), Faculty of Education, Department of Preschool Education (B.S.) and Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology (B.S. Minor) in 2005. In 2008, she received her M.S. degree from the Department of Psychological Counseling and Guidance at METU. In 2012, she received her Ph.D. degree from the Department of Early Childhood Education at METU. Demircan, who was a postdoctoral researcher at Ruhr-Bochum University, Family Research Center in Germany in 2012-2013, works as an assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education at METU. Her research interests are parental involvement in early childhood and STEM education.

Asst. Prof. Serap Sevimli Çelik,  METU Department of Early Childhood Education

Development of Creative Thinking Skills in Early Childhood

Serap Sevimli Çelik completed her undergraduate education at Middle East Technical University (METU), Faculty of Education, Department of Preschool Education (B.S.). She received her M.S. degree from the Department of Physical Education and Sport at METU and her Ph.D. degree from the Department of Early Childhood Education at Penn State University. Sevimli Çelik works as an assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education at METU. Her research interests are movement education in early childhood, play pedagogy, cross-cultural play, movement-friendly designs for indoors & outdoors and creative thinking in early childhood.