Dr. Annelise Pesch
Annelise is a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek on the expansion of Playful Learning Landscapes to Santa Ana, California in collaboration with Drs. Andres Bustamante and June Ahn at the University of California-Irvine. She received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of Dr. Melissa Koenig. Her dissertation examined how preschoolers’ epistemic and interpersonal trust in teachers impacted learning in classroom contexts. She is interested in understanding the components of interactions that support children’s learning, with the goal of bridging gaps between research and real-world application.
annelise.pesch@temple.edu
Dr. Elias Blinkoff
Elias is a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek to implement the Active Playful Learning (APL) framework in schools across the United States. APL applies evidence from the science of learning to engage teachers in collaborative professional coaching on an educational approach that combines understanding of students’ backgrounds with knowledge of how children learn best and the breadth of skills students require for success in the classroom and beyond. Elias received his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Temple University under Dr. Hirsh-Pasek. His dissertation used mixed methods to explore effects of APL coaching on kindergarten teachers and their students across the State of New Hampshire. Prior to arriving at Temple, Elias received his B.A. in Psychology and Educational Studies from Swarthmore College and mentored 7th-grade students in the School District of Philadelphia through City Year.
Dr. Natalie Evans
Natalie Evans is a postdoctoral fellow at Temple University working on the Active Playful Learning project. Previously, she was a postdoctoral research associate working with Dr. Jamie Jirout at the University of Virginia on projects investigating how educational experiences impact the development of curiosity and creativity in elementary school-aged children and undergraduate engineering students. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at the Temple Infant and Child Lab working with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. As a graduate student, she investigated curiosity, exploration, creativity, and playful learning. She conducted studies that explored new measurements of creativity and how to cultivate creativity in preschool children. Her dissertation examined how different playful learning environments impact preschool children’s curiosity, exploration, and creativity, and how children’s curiosity affects their learning.
