learning through play in he

No one ever teaches well

who wants to teach, or

governs well who wants to

govern.

Learning through play in Higher Education Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Module, Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice

http://www.flickr.com/photos/almarams/3902611177/

Life must be lived

as play. You can discover more about a person

in an hour of play than in a

year of conversation.

context • (week 4) Metaliteracy (Tom MacKey and Trudy E. Jacobson) –

(umbrella term for multiple literacies needed to operate effectively in the digital age)

• (week 5) Synthesising and Refining Creativity (Alicia Arnold) – multi- and cross-culturalism influence creativity

• (week 6) Creativity drives innovation (Russell Schoen) Foursight (TM) Process - Deliberate creative process (Clarify situation -> Generate ideas -> Develop solutions -> Implement actions)

• (week 7) Creative Problem Solving (Stavros Michailidis) Creativity as a risky business, risk tolerance

• http://www.cdlprojects.com/cmc11blog/

Chrissi, a learner

#CMC11 MOOC

Who is who

• Postgraduate

Certificate in Academic Practice

• Multi-disciplinary programme

• Teaching qualification and Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

www.salford.ac.uk

Fabrizio

Kirsty Neil Deaglan

Frances

John

Fiona

Where we are

What does the university

embody for you?

Prof. Anne Boddington Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Brighton (UK) defined universities as a place and a space to

• sustain conversations

• shape the future of human life

• stimulate innovation

• shape new structures of and for learning

• shape new pedagogies

Learning through play at University?

mixed reality games in Higher Education

Dr. Nicola Whitton Research Fellow, Education and Social Research Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University

Blog: http://playthinklearn.net/ Twitter: @nicwhitton

“The rationale behind the use of alternative reality games is that the use of problem-based, experiential and collaborative activities in alternative reality games makes them ideally suited to teaching in higher education; particularly as they enable players to become involved in both playing and shaping the narrative as it emerges.” (Whitton, 2010, 87)

“human appetite for making things”

(Gauntlett, 2011, p. 61)

David Gauntlett Professor of Media and Communications at the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) University of Westminster http://www.makingisconnecting.org/

the social meaning of creativity

mixed-reality game ‘sell your bargains’ to spice up teaching and learning in HE direct link http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissinerantzi/6315009414/

Stage 1: Select… Identify a topic you feel students struggle

to grasp in your subject area…

Stage 2: Invest… In pairs, what prop could

you purchase to explain

this…

1 hour to pick, purchase

and present…

Stage 3: Surprise… Digital story: Blog, share,

reflect and demonstrate

your ideas and rationale

to your students and

peers…

What were the surprises?

“It was so much fun I think I forgot I was learning, but then maybe that was the point!”

“Ho vinto, ho vinto! (I won : )”

It was fun. Working with others from other disciplines but finding a lot of common

ground. It was beneficial to get different perspectives of a difficult problem.

Then coming together to see what others had done & their rationale was also really

useful.

I found it highly beneficial. I never thought I could exploit our natural curiosity to explore and play as a medium to learn; through my active

engagement as a player/learner in the game I realised that I could design this element in my academic modules.

I have also realised that this is a good way to foster deep rather than

superficial learning.

Furthermore the game was pleasurable and enjoyable, and although it had a title and quite a rigid structure, it didn't have any extrinsic goals, i.e.

there was no prescribed learning that ought to have occurred.

Thanks to this freedom, or “gaps” (as said in yesterday’s session), learning occurred creatively. Specifically my learning was enhanced by moving

about in a physical space (which could be recreated with a board game in class through an element of make-believe). I felt that this way of learning caters for different kinds of learners and is easily adaptable to how you

are feeling at that moment in time when learning occurs.

Finally it really gave me a boost in experimenting with digital interactive tools for learning and teaching.

I really enjoyed the element of having to think 'on your feet' and develop the ideas as you went along. It was really interesting working with others from a different discipline to myself as this helped me to

see the different perspectives that people can have on the same topic. I enjoyed the element of taking

photos/videos and using these to help to tell our story at the end.

• technologies

• complexity of tasks

• task 3: storytelling not clear enough

• organising

• supporting

• not challenging enough (1 player)

issues

ripple effect

“I think I could use it with small groups of students as part of their pbl process to make it more interesting for them. I think it would encourage them to demonstrate their learning in a more interesting and challenging way.”

“I don't think I would chose to use this experience with my students. I feel some of the more traditional techniques would offer a better learning experience such as Problem Based Learning.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jan/02/25-predictions-25-years

Questions and reflections

BIG thank you to

• Kirsty, Fiona, Frances, Neil, Fabrizio, Deaglan and John from the University of Salford

• Carol Yeager from the #CMC11 MOOC

• all webinar participants

the end of #CMC11 and a new beginning!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikejonesphoto/2932001534/

Anything else?

References

• Barrows, H. S. and Tamblyn, R. M. 1980. Problem-based Learning. An Approach to Medical Education. New York: Springer.

• Boud, D, Cohen, R, Sampson, J (2001) Peer Learning in Higher Education: Learning from and with each other, London: Kogan.

• Burnard, Pamela; Craft, Anna; Cremin, Teresa; Duffy, Bernadette; Hanson, Ruth; Keene, Jean; Haynes, Lindsay and Burns, Dawn (2006). Documenting ‘possibility thinking’: a journey of collaborative enquiry. International Journal of Early Years Education, 14(3), pp. 243–262., available at http://oro.open.ac.uk/6546/1/6546.pdf

• Glynis, C (online) Threshold Concepts: Undergraduate Teaching, Postgraduate Training and Professional Development, A short introduction and bibliography, available at http://www.ee.ucl.ac.uk/~mflanaga/thresholds.html

• Meyer, J.H.F. and Land, R. (2003) Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: linkages to ways of thinking and practising, In: Rust, C. (ed.), Improving Student Learning - Theory and Practice Ten Years On. Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development (OCSLD), pp 412-424.

• Mezirow, J. Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991.

• Rogers, C. R. (1983). Freedom to Learn for the 80's. Columbus: Merrill.

• Schön D (1983) The reflective practitioner. Basic Books: New York.

• Whitton, N (2010) Learning with Digital Games. A Practical Guide to Engaging Students in Higher Education, open and flexible learning series, Oxon: Routledge.

Twitter @pgcap

YouTube

pgcapsalford

Learning in Higher Education through play Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Module, Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice

http://www.flickr.com/photos/almarams/3902611177/

PGCAP programme site at http://www.adu.salford.ac.uk/

html/pgcert/intro.html

contact Chrissi Nerantzi, the game organiser at

c.nerantzi@salford.ac.uk