Firefighter, astronaut, princess - few of us actually get the jobs we dream about as children. But with Cambridge University looking to recruit a Lego Professor of Play, one lucky soul just might. The uni - ranked number one in the UK - is looking for an expert to run their brand new education, development and learning research centre. Funded in part by the Lego Foundation, the centre will “examine the importance of play and playfulness in education globally” in order to teach children skills like problem solving, team work and self-control. According to the Guardian, Cambridge are looking for someone with a “childlike mindset”: “an academic who is playful, extremely curious, open-minded, imaginative and creative”. “The value of play is relatively under-researched,” Cambridge University education professor Anna Vignoles told the paper. “The aim of the centre is to conduct rigorous research into the importance of play and how playful learning can be used to improve students’ outcomes.”
If the job didn’t sound amazing enough already, the university are offering a “competitive” salary for the position. Applications for the role close on 20 January. Lego Play University Of Cambridge Child Development Cambridge LEGO Rare & Hard to Find! LEGO DC Super Heroes LEGO Books & Accessories 3 & 4 Years DC Super Hero GirlsToys”R”Us, Babies”R”Us are registered trademarks of Toys”R”Us (Canada) Ltd. Use of this site signifies your acceptance of Toys"R"Us Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.NewsDeadline looms for 'Lego Professor' applicationsJobseekers have just two days left to try for the most sought-after position in higher educationCambridge University is recruiting it first ‘Lego Professor’ - a ‘professor of play’, who will investigate how playtime helps with childhood development. Based at its new Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning (Pedal), the position has been funded by the Lego Foundation, which has already committed a total of £4 million for the university.
The foundation, which owns 25 per cent of the Lego business, is hoping to find an academic with a “childlike mindset”, according to its global head of research Bo Stjerne Thomsen. He told The Guardian: “What we want is to get the UK government to encourage more playful learning in schools, rather than testing. “The skills you need now as an adult are collaboration, problem- solving and coming up with ideas. In that sense, play is critical. “You use your imagination to plan things, to predict outcomes, to understand how to solve a problem by looking at it from different perspectives.” The successful candidate will require a background in educational psychology, as well as an ability to “think of new ways of doing research and work across different disciplines”. The deadline for applications to the first-of-its kind role is on Friday.Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDaily NewsletterFollow @CambridgeNewsUKSubscribe to our Daily newsletterEnter emailCMN0207E The value of the parameter "storeId" is not correct.
If your idea of the perfect job is playing with Lego all day, you may be in luck.The University of Cambridge is advertising for a Lego Professorship of Play in Education, Development, and Learning thanks to funding from the Lego Foundation.The application does come with a number of caveats, though. Namely, you must be an "outstanding scholar in the field of educational or developmental psychology in early years development" – with a focus on working in the field of play and playfulness – and the deadline is this Friday, January 20.The Lego Foundation has also funded a research centre in Play in Education, Development and Learning (Pedal) to study the importance of play in education. It is aiming to produce research which supports "excellence in education" to help children learn better in schools.Playing online games can make children smarter (just don't let them use social media) In the job listing, the Board of Electors writes: "Candidates for the Lego Professorship in the Faculty of Education will have an outstanding research record of international stature and the vision, leadership, experience and enthusiasm to act as Director of the newly established Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning (Pedal).""
Standard professorial duties include teaching and research, examining, supervision and administration. The Professor will be based in Cambridge. A competitive salary will be offered."There is an increasing focus on how important play is in education, not just from Lego but from other firms including Microsoft. Bill Gates' company recently launched Minecraft: Education Edition, following a six-month beta that saw more than 50,000 students and teachers around the world testing out the software.Unlike the regular version of the game, Education Edition is specifically tailored for school use, allowing teachers to deliver interactive lessons and guide pupils through concepts by 'doing' rather than rote memorisation.It drew criticism, however, from Tom Bennett – the UK government's 'behaviour czar', who believes the sandbox world-builder is a detriment to lessons.As part of his role as director of researchED and Chair of the Department for Education's behaviour group, he advises MPs about classroom behaviour, and spoke out against what he sees as the 'gimmicky' use of Minecraft in classrooms.
Speaking to The Times (paywalled), Bennett said: "I am not a fan of Minecraft in lessons. This smacks to me of another gimmick which will get in the way of children actually learning."He added, mimicking language used in the recent US election campaign by president-elect Trump, "removing these gimmicky aspects of education is one of the biggest tasks facing us as teachers. We need to drain the swamp of gimmicks."University of Cambridge is Recruiting for a Professor of LEGO Renowned for its high standard of education and prominent status as the world’s fourth-oldest surviving university, the University of Cambridge in the U.K. is hiring a Lego professor to add to its academic roster of teachers. The incoming applicant does not necessarily need to know their bricks from their baseplates. Instead, they will head a new research center that focuses on children’s relationships with play in education, development and learning. They will also investigate how unrestrictive play can help improve a child’s experience of education.