Rubber Duck Method: Fostering Innovative Teaching and Learning in Schools

This chapter tells the story of two teachers in a small rural public elementary school in Ontario, Canada, who developed an innovative pedagogical framework that puts students in charge of their own learning through purposeful, playful, and challenging work. The Rubber Duck Method was inspired by the teachers’ participation in the Canadian Playful Schools Network (CPSN), a 1-year post-pandemic initiative funded by the LEGO Foundation that brought together educators from 41 Canadian schools across seven provinces to advance learning through play in the middle years (grades 4–8). Since 2023, the innovative teacher-led framework has evolved and strengthened through ongoing professional collaboration, growing student engagement and achievement, and deepening ties with community partners. Using narrative inquiry, the research study inquired into the teachers’ experience and conceptualization of innovation, the conditions that made the Rubber Duck Method possible, and the role of teacher-leadership.