Reeves Elementary Entering Year Three of Massachusetts DESE’s Playful Learning Institute Collaboration

WOBURN — Superintendent Dr. Matthew Crowley and Principal Matthew Comenitz announce that Clyde Reeves Elementary School in Woburn will be entering year three of its collaborative effort with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Playful Learning Institute (PLI).

The initiative, launched by the DESE’s Early Learning Team in 2023, aims to give teachers and school administrators tools to implement playful learning throughout the school day.

Playful learning is a set of instructional strategies and practices that are implemented within the current curriculum in all subject areas. Through these practices are four key learning indicators: curiosity, empowerment, enjoyment, and connection. Practices include centers/studios, thinking and feedback, text talks, writing, storytelling/story acting, and community meetings.

This approach provides more equitable access to learning for all students while also supporting their emotional, social, physical, and psychological development. Additionally, the program gives students the ability to foster their educational experiences through their attribution of ownership, optimization of the use of choice, and an increase in student voice. 

For the 2024-25 school year, Reeves Elementary expanded the effort to all classes in kindergarten through grade 3. In 2025-26, the focus will be on expanding current efforts while collecting data and observing classrooms to collect evidence for the PLI practice in public schools statewide. Reeves Elementary will also host classroom visits from neighboring school districts that are in their first year of the PLI program, serving as mentors to educators who are new to the playful learning approach. 

Reeves Elementary was one of five schools selected for the DESE competitive grant in its inaugural year. Teachers implemented the program for students in two classes in preschool through Grade 3 and saw a variety of positive outcomes. Teachers across all grades were able to learn even more about students’ interests and deepen their subject knowledge. 

“PLI has been such a great experience for both my students and myself. I have enjoyed watching students learn and grow together while being fully embedded in specific topics from the curriculum. Students’ autonomy over their choices has allowed me to learn more about each student’s preferred interests, while also giving them opportunities to share their knowledge about the topic we are covering,” said grade 1 teacher Kristen Merullo Slagmolen, who uses Science Studios during PLI lessons. “PLI encourages us to follow good teaching practices and think about each child in our classroom. Students have grown socially and have worked on problem-solving skills with their peers, and have expanded their peer groups throughout this program, allowing friendships to foster over these newly shared interests.”

“It is an honor for our school to be one of the test pilots of such an important program to help out students of all backgrounds,” said Principal Comenitz. “We hope this program continues to grow and flourish for years to come at Reeves and is eventually implemented at other elementary schools across Massachusetts.”

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