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What is 

Playful 

Pedagogy?

This project, led by Prof. Katy Ieong Cheng Ho Weatherly, under the Center of Arts & Physical Education, Faculty of Education, University of Macau, reimagines the preparation of early childhood educators through a playful, interactive model grounded in music, gamification, creativity, and 21st-century competencies.

 

At a time when Macau’s early childhood education sector is grappling with a dramatically declining birth rate, the role of early years educators is undergoing significant transformation. Fewer children mean greater competition among kindergartens, heightened expectations for innovation and engagement, and new pressures on teacher preparedness. In response to these shifting demands, the project equips pre-service educators not just with foundational theory and pedagogy, but with adaptable, future- ready skills. Through hands-on activities, arts-integrated tasks, collaborative game-based learning, and reflective storytelling, students engage in real-world scenarios that foster creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and digital literacy.

 

The experience encourages students to see themselves as designers of joyful, responsive learning environments, capable of leading educational change even in the face of demographic and systemic uncertainty. Now in its third year, this project has reached over 300 future early childhood educators, making a measurable impact on their confidence, creativity, and pedagogical vision.

Why is 
this important?

Training future early childhood teachers in Macau is critically important because the sector is navigating rapid demographic, social, and educational changes. Macau’s declining birth rate has intensified competition among kindergartens, increasing the demand for highly skilled educators who can design engaging, innovative, and developmentally responsive learning environments. At the same time, families now expect early childhood programs to cultivate 21st-century competencies, socioemotional development, emergent literacy, and creativity from a much earlier age. These shifting expectations require teachers who are not only grounded in theory, but also confident in applying playful, arts-integrated, and student-centered pedagogies that reflect Macau’s bilingual and multicultural context.

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Moreover, early childhood teachers in Macau play a foundational role in shaping children’s long-term academic and social trajectories. High-quality early education has been shown to improve learning outcomes, reduce inequalities, and strengthen community well-being. Investing in the preparation of pre-service educators ensures a pipeline of professionals who can meet local needs, respond to policy changes, and lead educational innovation in a rapidly evolving landscape. Ultimately, training future early childhood teachers is essential for sustaining high standards of care and education, supporting families, and contributing to Macau’s broader social and human development.

What do we offer on this website?

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What's next? 

  • Secure funding to develop additional game-based learning modules and lesson packages, including materials for music, early childhood, and interdisciplinary arts education, with prototypes that can be piloted across partner schools in Macau and the Greater Bay Area.

  • Develop a comprehensive “Playful Pedagogy Framework” for pre-service educators, outlining key principles, design features, developmental rationales, sample classroom routines, evidence-based strategies, and assessment tools tailored for teacher-training programs at the University of Macau.

  • Design and deliver a professional development program on Playful Pedagogy for in-service educators, including workshop slides, hands-on game design labs, model lesson videos, reflection guides, and follow-up coaching sessions to support implementation in local schools.

  • Establish a Playful Pedagogy Center, equipped with a small makerspace for educational game creation, a repository of classroom-ready resource kits, a research hub for studying playful learning in Macanese and GBA contexts, and a training venue for pre-service and in-service teachers.

 

PLAYFUL PEDAGOGY

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Supported by Faculty of Education, University of Macau

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