For the past few years, colleagues Dennis DeBay and Lina Darwich have been exploring what play looks like in our teaching. Some experiments worked, some didn’t, but we kept learning. Lately we’ve been wondering: what if we invited our colleagues and peers to explore this together?
That’s the idea behind Flourish Lab, an edited collection on playful pedagogies in higher education (Play Story Press), edited by Dennis DeBay (Teaching Professor, STEM Education and Learning Design, CU Denver) and Lina Darwich (Associate Professor, Teacher Education, Lewis & Clark).
We’re inviting you to share in a process that is more than just compiling essays. To begin, you can join an online community space to play and try out one of eight Playful Invitations. These invitations are entry points, each opens a different door onto the same fundamental question: What does flourishing actually feel like in your professional life, and how might you design more of it? Along the way, you can share your reactions and ideas, also getting feedback from others. We hope to build a space where we can try things out together, stepping away from too many learning spaces that feel automated and distant. No polished proposal required up front, just interest.
Once you’ve had a chance to play in this sandbox, we’ll send out the request for proposals, and if you’re moved by what you discovered, you can write a chapter idea about it.
Consider this an invitation, not an obligation. If you’re curious, would you take a few minutes to read more details about this proposition, including seeing the Playful Invitation. If this appeals to you, please fill out the short interest form.
We’d love to hear back by November 5th.
