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Key points
- College classroom play can be rigorous and exist alongside high standards.
- Play that has no relation to the content of the class can relax and open up students.
- Playing for the sake of joy doesn’t need to take up much time. It can last from 2-15 minutes.
Guest Blog Post by Lisa K. Forbes, Ph.D.
Blogger’s note: Last month, I wrote about a wonderful study by Lisa K. Forbes, Ph.D., about incorporating play into the college classroom. I have asked Dr. Forbes to expand a little on how we can all think about incorporating play and playfulness.
In this post, Dr. Forbes presents four basic principles that can guide our thinking about play and learning:
Play is my attempt to reimagine higher education by breaking the boundaries and bending the rules. Play is (a) a way of being–not taking ourselves so seriously, (b) an activity–harnessing power in the service of learning, and (c) a philosophy–playing with the status quo to break then remake learning to be more flexible, inclusive, and expansive.
Sounds fun, right? It is, trust me. But the first question I always get is, “Yeah, but how do you do that? What does a playful pedagogy even look like?” My idea of play in learning is continuously evolving, but here are four main points:
1. Don’t be afraid to be playful.
For some reason, there is a cultural narrative that says play in adulthood is trivial, childish, a waste of time, and unprofessional. So, it’s no surprise that play is often excluded from higher education. But what I have learned is that play can be rigorous and exist alongside high standards. Thus, we can allow ourselves to be more playful and simply not take ourselves so seriously.
Embodying playfulness will look different for each person, but it’s about allowing ourselves to loosen up, bring more of our true selves to our teaching, and make space for play and joy. For me, this means presenting myself as a human–not being so polished and put together. It means sharing my struggles when I was in their shoes as a student. It means making jokes–for me, usually self-deprecating or about the craziness of my life as a mom. However you do it, being playful is important because it shows your humanness, cultivates students' humanity, and creates community, trust, laughter, and engagement.
2. Play for the sake of joy.
When people talk about play in learning, they usually describe games, competitions, or activities related to the learning objectives and content. That’s definitely a part of it, but I believe many faculty diminish the power of play in the learning process by not including play for simply the sake of joy. Play that has no relation to the content of the class can relax and open up students, which can make it easier to get through more content on a deeper level. Think of play for joy as the fuel to the learning process.
I have incorporated play for joy by doing meaningless competitions at the start of class. There are many computer-based games like Flappy Bird or QWOP, etc. that you can have your students do a 2-minute competition to see who can get the highest score. The winner gets a sticker prize (mailed to them if they are online learners). Since the competition is optional, meaningless, with no consequence, and not connected to their grade or the learning, students can let loose and just have fun.
Another example: In small groups, students can generate the longest list of funny things they all have in common. Or, they can take a group selfie to share when they come back to the larger group. The group with the funniest or most creative selfie wins a prize. I have even done a digital escape room where groups have to solve clues to break the locks and get a special password to come back to class.
Playing for joy doesn’t need to take up much time. In my classes, it lasts from 2-15 minutes. But I have found that a little investment in play can help reduce stress and build a learning community. It is probably one of the most valuable things I do.
3. Trust students.
The way we commonly teach in higher education proves that we don’t trust students. We often assume that they will cheat. We assume they are taking advantage when they ask for an extension on a deadline. To trust students and make a more engaging and playful learning process, I rely on the students to be active learners. I reserve the majority of class time for role plays, discussions, activities, and exploration.
One example: before class, I give students assignments or concepts to explore on their own. Then in class, I provide them with a discussion prompt or protocol to work through in groups. When they come prepared to co-construct the learning and play, they’re more invested and passionate about the discussions. If we trust students—if we believe that they are capable of learning and have considerable strengths and experiences to build upon, then students can learn to trust themselves.
4. Be flexible and reduce the hierarchy.
I try to come out from behind my lectern and polished professionalism to co-construct learning and meaning alongside my students. I want to reduce the all-knowing expert's focus and reduce the intimidating and distancing hierarchy between faculty and students. This is vital to the playful learning process and brings us back to our original principle of not taking myself so seriously.
Can I extend that due date because I know students are stressed out, and I won’t be able to grade it for a few weeks anyway?
Can I allow students to choose how they demonstrate their learning to me instead of all students submitting identical assignments? For example, one student chose to do a podcast instead of a paper, and it was actually better quality and more in-depth than many of the papers.
Can I reconsider grades altogether and do un-grading. Jesse Stommel presents a pretty solid case for this practice.
Can I let the students choose the direction of the class session? Like a “choose your own adventure” game?
Play is about being playful and silly. It’s also about being flexible and creative–and about challenging the status quo. To me, play is my lifeline and a key to my longevity in an industry that can chew people up and spit them out.
Are you in?
Dr. Forbes is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver. In June 2020, she co-created a group called Professors at Play (P@P) which now includes faculty from all over the world interested in playful pedagogy. She aims to educate educators on what she calls, a “playvolution” in higher education. She writes about play in asynchronous coursework and synchronous digital classes.
