Blog Archive

The Problem with Prizes

by David Thomas So, want to use a game in your classroom. And you want to give prizes to the winners. Great idea! But before you go out and buy those trophies and Starbucks gift cards, let’s take a moment to consider the problem with prizes. What problem, you ask?...

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Thinking Your Way to PLAY!

By Lisa Forbes 2020 has been quite a year. Many would probably like to pretend that 2020 never happened. It’s been extremely stressful and exhausting for me too for several reasons but one amazing thing that has happened in 2020 was the creation of Professors at Play....

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Tiny Dancer

by Amy Nichols, M.A. Ed., Guest Author I remember an illustration I was once told.  In the story, a group of kindergartners are asked, “who is a good dancer”.  All hands fly into the air, students jumping out of their seats to demonstrate their dance moves.  Okay,...

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To the Playposium and Beyond!

by Lisa Forbes In June of 2020, David and I started a Google listserv called Professors at Play. We had 5 members. Five months later, we have 554 members. This summer, there was so much excitement about Professors at Play, we knew we had to do more - create a bigger...

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A Word With Your Inner Child

by David Thomas I want to talk to you about your inner child. Or at least the concept that you have an inner child and that child ought to get out sometimes.  Go ahead, have an extra scoop of ice cream. Jump in a puddle. Fly a kite. Dive into a cool stream on a hot...

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Embodying Playfulness

by Lisa Forbes   Embodying Playfulness Oh boy, this is a big topic here. Embodying playfulness. In my recent study, the student participants described an important aspect of their experience of play in learning - the faculty embodying playfulness. Some student...

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Play = Fun = Love

by Lisa Forbes Here’s the thing...I believe that play equals love. I know this might seem a little too hippie-ish for some people, but stay with me here. I’m not talking about the mushy gushy romantic love, that’s love in some settings but in terms of higher education...

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Fun and Games in Higher Education: A Review

by David Thomas Rarely do you find academics willing to seriously think about fun, much less publish about it. But in their pursuit to find ways to make learning more engaging, authors Nicola Whitton & Mark Langan  have produced a fine piece of scholarship both...

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Play Languages

How come you don’t like to play? By Lisa Forbes Last night I was tucking my 5-year-old into her bed and out of the blue she said: “mommy, how come you don’t like to play?” You know in the movies when the music stops and the record screeches? That’s what it felt like...

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“But, I Don’t Have Time To Play…”

By Lisa Forbes You know what really grinds my gears? When people devalue and dismiss play in adulthood and in higher education. This quote by Stuart Brown from his book Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul should be a lesson to...

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