Our Story
Global Play Lab is powered by a collective of like-minded leaders who are passionate about building systems that support children to achieve and thrive.
Bringing playful learning to life
We understand how playful, experiential learning supports deep learning and is connected to everything from peace, human rights and sustainable development to social-emotional learning, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking.
By supporting partners to develop and implement practical and engaging resources, tools, frameworks and programs that harness the power of play, we can improve children’s learning experiences and outcomes and help them achieve their full potential.
Photo credit: Angelina Moehlmann
Rachel Parker
Founder, Global Play Lab
Rachel Parker brings 25 years of experience in international development and education research, combining deep knowledge of global education systems with a strong understanding of classroom realities. She has partnered with multilateral, bilateral and non-profit organisations— including UNICEF, UNESCO, ADB, the World Bank, DFAT and the LEGO Foundation — across more than 15 countries.
Before founding Global Play Lab, Rachel was a Senior Research Fellow and Project Director at ACER, leading an agenda on playful and transformative learning. Her leadership includes LEGO Foundation’s 4-year Learning Through Play at School Ukraine Study and UNICEF’s award-nominated ECE Kindergarten to Grade 4 Longitudinal Study.
Rachel brings curiosity and creativity to every challenge, co-designing tailored solutions through playful, experiential approaches. Her expertise spans research design, methodology, communications, evaluation, strategy, policy and curricula analysis, and program management.
As Founder and Principal Consultant of Global Play Lab, she leads a network of Associates and Collaborators on projects supported by donors, foundations, research institutes, and education systems.
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Learning Through Play at School
The LEGO Foundation
A study of playful integrated pedagogies that foster children’s holistic skills development in the primary school classroom.
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ACER-APCEIU GCED Monitoring Toolkit
ACER and APCEIU (UNESCO)
Guidance for implementing, monitoring and evaluating global citizenship education with real-world examples and insights.
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Learning Through Play at School Ukraine
ACER, UERA and The LEGO Foundation
A four-year initiative capturing the impact of war on children’s literacy and social-emotional skills.
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UNICEF Philippines ECE Longitudinal Study
ACER, SEAMEO INNOTECH, DFAT and UNICEF
Investigating the impact of the introduction of Kindergarten to the K-12 Basic Education System.
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Being and Becoming Global Citizens
ACER and APCEIU (UNESCO)
Monitoring teacher and school readiness to enact global citizenship in the Asia Pacific region and progress towards SDG 4.7.
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Learning Through Play at School
Frontiers in Education
A framework for policy and practice that offers a common language and structure to implement learning through play.
Associates
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A world-leading expert in design, innovation and learning, Bo has designed robots, houses, liveable cities and education frameworks that have changed how we think about play and learning. Bo is currently Head of Educational Impact at LEGO Education and was previously Vice President of the LEGO Foundation.
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Amy is a global leader on learning engagement. She invented a completely new way to think and talk about engagement, as featured in her book Reimagining Student Engagement: From Disrupting to Driving, and The Disengaged Teen by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop. Amy is the Founder of The Engagement Hub, a world-first global community for all things engagement.
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Catherine is an Enterprise Fellow at the Assessment and Evaluation Research Centre at the University of Melbourne. She is a renowned expert on classroom video observation and teacher effectiveness, as demonstrated by her leadership roles in the Gates Foundation’s MET Study and at the Australian Council for Educational Research and Educational Testing Service.
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Kellie is a leading thinker in literacy education, with a deep understanding of how teachers support reading skills development. She is a Literacy Lecturer at RMIT and previously managed the ALNF’s Overcoming Disadvantage in Early Childhood for ACER. Kellie is also a highly experienced classroom teacher and learning enrichment specialist.
Collaborators
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Dr Karena Menzie-Ballantyne is a Senior Lecturer and teacher-educator at CQUniversity and a leader in global citizenship education. She recently led efforts to support UNESCO to create a Roadmap to implement the United Nations Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights, and Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific region and is a co-author of the ACER-APCEIU GCED Monitoring Toolkit.
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Few people understand more about education in emergencies and how playful learning supports children to grow than Professor Oksana Zabolotna. Oksana is President of the Ukrainian Educational Research Association (UERA) and a Professor at Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University. She provides research support to War Child Alliance and was the Ukraine lead for Learning Through Play at School, Ukraine.
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Maryville University's Center for Access and Achievement (CA2) partners with high-need school districts and nonprofits to prepare students for success in STEM fields through outreach programs across the St. Louis area. Led by Associate Professor Steve Coxon, PhD, CA2 offers initiatives such as the Maryville Science and Robotics Program, engaging over 2,000 PK-12 students annually in STEM education. In collaboration with the LEGO Foundation, CA2 developed MAP MATS: Playful Adventures in Math and Science, a set of activities using LEGO DUPLO and large floor mats, enhancing playful learning experiences for students.
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Matterworks is an Australian digital health studio that transforms complex health and research information into accessible, engaging content designed to inform and empower diverse audiences. Collaborating with leading research institutes, industry bodies and government organisations, Matterworks specialises in creating evidence-based health education programs that drive behaviour change and improve health literacy among young people and their communities.