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. Hailey Gibbs
Hailey is a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek on the expansion of Playful Learning Landscapes and related research with national and international collaborators. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Quantitative Methodology from the University of Maryland College Park under the supervision of Dr. Lucas Payne Butler. Hailey is interested in the role that questions play in children’s interactions with peers and caregivers, their understanding of the relation between evidence and knowledge-building, and the features of learning environments that best support children’s scientific literacy and critical thinking. Her dissertation examined the intersection between children’s assessments of the quality of others people’s questions and their characterizations of those people as more reliable, knowledgeable, or competent. Her work is also broadly motivated by the goal of translating scientific practice for broader application.
hailey.gibbs@temple.edu
Dr. Katelyn Fletcher
Katelyn is a Post-Doctoral Fellow currently working with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek to bring Playful Learning Landscapes into Bright Horizon preschool centers. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from New York University under the supervision of Dr. Catherine Tamis-LeMonda. Katelyn’s dissertation investigates how physical and social features of the environment shape early language learning and play. She is passionate about collaborating with communities to integrate the science of playful learning into everyday activities and places.
katelyn.fletcher@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.
