ShiftED Podcast #102 In Conversation with Stephanie Lord-Darby • Play Isn't the Break From Learning, It's the Learning

Movement is the foundation for learning, not the reward for finishing it. On this episode of the ShiftED Podcast, we speak with Stephanie Lord-Darby, an early childhood educator and program coordinator at GymbaROO-KindyROO in Australia, about the neuroscience behind play. Stephanie unpacks "firing and wiring," why stillness is actually a form of balance built through movement, and how "provocations" let children choose their own path into a topic rather than following a scripted outcome. She also shares why connection, not routine, is the real starting point for a new school year. A grounded, practical listen for anyone setting up an early years classroom this fall.https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-lord-darby-95180130a/