Principal Deb Murray outlines expansion of play-based learning at Brewster School

Principal Deb Murray told the Student Achievement Committee on Nov. 5 that Brewster School has been implementing play-based, educator-guided learning since last year and that the approach is intentionally linked to academic standards and executive-function development.

"Play is the work of childhood," Murray said, describing a continuum from free play to educator-guided play and stressing that Brewster’s model uses scenarios and provocations tied to standards. She said play-based activities promote collaboration, problem solving, discourse and higher-order thinking aligned to Bloom’s taxonomy, and pointed to a grocery-store learning scenario used last year as evidence of stronger mastery in kindergarten mathematics.

Murray described 12 classroom strategies focused on working memory, self-regulation and cognitive flexibility. She showcased classroom videos of activities including the "six bricks" exercise, in which a teacher gave prepositional directions while a partner reconstructed a Duplo structure, and a "who chooses first" process that reinforces inhibitory control by rotating choice among students.

Teachers also use play planning and provocations—short, teacher-designed challenges tied to a unit—to guide student play toward curricular goals, Murray said. The kindergarten team is preparing a "fair" scenario to roll out in January; the grocery-store scenario will return in spring.

Murray said the work includes sustained teacher planning and professional learning with a coach and external partners. She noted that the kindergarten team will present at a play summit in December at the University of Hartford, and she thanked the board for support.

Committee members asked for clarification during the presentation. Members discussed how the 10-frame math activity is used within scenarios, how teachers differentiate activities for different ability levels, and how vocabulary and oral language develop through play. Murray said videos and materials would be shared with the committee and invited board members to schedule classroom visits during upcoming scenarios.

Impact and next steps. Murray said staff have observed high engagement and strong language development during play; she reported that teachers plan continued professional learning on executive functioning and will share videos and materials with the board. "You're welcome to come see us play anytime," she said.

The committee did not take policy action on the presentation; it received the update and moved on to other agenda items.