Erik Landgren

Educator, Adjunct Lecturer, OMEP Representative to UN

Introduction

Erik Landgren is a 2nd grade teacher, adjunct lecturer at Hunter College, OMEP representative to the United Nations, and a Doctoral Student at Dowling College. He has taught for eleven plus years in the earlychildhood setting. As an educator, Erik is most passionate about designing curriculum that allows for hands on, sensory based learning opportunities for children to make discoveries about the world around them. He also believes that a healthy dose of outdoor play is necessary for young children to be able to make sense and care about the natural world.
With an interest in exchange and collaboration amongst early childhood educators, Erik has traveled the world researching systems of education abroad . HIs most recent international travels include trips to visit systems of education in Sweden, China, Africa, India, Germany, and France.

Research

Erik is currently conducting research on the implementation of curriculum used to teach young children about nontraditional family structures and strategies for bullying prevention in the elementary school setting.
Most recently Erik presented on the positive benefits of outdoor play at the OMEP International Conference held in Honk Kong China (Summer 2011).

Resume

Professional Affiliations

ACEI
OMEP

Philosophy

We must design curriculum that carefully considers the way young children think. Curriculum that is designed for the adult, abstract thinking brain, will not produce results that are consistent with our desire to educate the next generation of creative thinkers. Concrete, sensory-based, learning opportunities that take place in outdoor settings allow children to create sense memories with objects when discovering them for the first time. When children are allowed to learn in this way, the potential for retention, application, and synthesis of knowledge is limitless.