WORKSHOP: Play is Serious Work: Neuro-informed Design for Learning
Educational environments are often designed for an “average” learner, yet no such learner exists. This session demonstrates how play-based, biophilic, and neurodiverse-informed design strategies can improve behavior, focus, emotional safety, and well-being. Presenters including the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, Architect, and Interior Designer, share how the Bright Futures Preschool transformed an underutilized building into a flexible, high-performing learning environment. Attendees will explore strategies such as sensory-conscious materials, zoning, daylighting, acoustics, and play-based layouts, and leave with practical frameworks for aligning educational vision with inclusive design execution across early learning, K-12, positioning neurodiversity as a driver of better outcomes for students, staff, and communities.
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