About me
Dr. Sarah Aiono is an international speaker, coach, teacher, researcher, author and one of Aotearoa New Zealand's leading play pedagogy experts. She has extensive experience as a classroom teacher, having taught students from all year levels, with a particular focus on those with challenging behaviour and learning needs. She is passionate about helping teachers implement evidence-informed play pedagogy with fidelity in their everyday classroom practices. She is currently co-lead investigator in a two-year research project investigating the place of indigenous play practices in the primary classroom. In addition, Sarah is the New Zealand representative of the Global Recess Alliance, HundrED Community Lead, a Neuro fellow, and host of the popular podcast series Play Conversations on Spotify. As CEO of Longworth Education, New Zealand’s foremost play pedagogy professional development provider, Sarah guides a team of facilitators to support schools in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and India to use play every day in their classrooms, drawing on evidence-informed coaching processes to ensure these practices align with the most up to date research related to children’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical development and wellbeing. As a speaker and advocate for play, Sarah regularly presents to both education and the businesses sector. Her message at these events promotes the vision that play is not just seen as a luxury for young children – but a necessity for all humans as a way to develop innovation, creativity and resiliency as society navigates the challenges of the 21st century.