This document discusses using a learning-as-play approach. It encourages individuals to play, reflect, and collaborate. Play is described as a response to new experiences where content and meaning are uncertain. It involves hands-on problem solving and collaboration. Attendees are instructed to work together in areas of the room containing random everyday items to build new constructions. Examples of play at work include giving employees time to creatively work on projects and conducting job interviews through puzzles. Resources promoting play-based learning approaches are provided. The document concludes by asking for questions and commitments to actions.

1. Seeking:
Individuals Who Want to Play
Jennifer Blackwell, M.S.
Delaware Technical Community College, Jack F. Owens Campus
@blackwje
j.blackwell@dtcc.edu

2. 2
Welcome to #NACADADelaware,
we are glad you are here!
!

3. • To play.
• To reflect.
• To collaborate.

4. PlaygroundRules

6. Traditional
Paradigm
Learning-as-play
Approach

7. What is Play?
• A response to new
experiences where
content & meaning
are uncertain
• Hands-on problem-
solving
• Collaboration in
action

8. Let’s Play!

11. In areas of the room,
there are random every day items.
!
Find an area that feels most comfortable to
you, and working together with the
individuals who join you - build a new
construction that hasn’t existed in time or
space before.
It can be something you use, you wear, you see,
etc.
!
!
Try to use all of the materials available
when feasible.

12. Time to Reflect

13. Are we
learning?
• Builds problem-solving,
persistence &
collaboration skills
• Play = reflective
learning strategy
• Positively contribute to
society

14. Ideas!

15. • 20% time to creatively work on what
they think will most benefit the
company
• Only 10% of employees are
consistently doing this (as of April,
2015) and it has no management
oversight
• HR Director of Google: “The idea of
it is more important than the reality
of it…the most talented and creative
people can’t be forced to work.”
BusinessInsider.com (April 17, 2015)
Play at work…

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• Nerf Stations in Student
Activities office
• Biology Instructor who
would breakdown
equipment of focus in
lab for given project
• Company at career fair
interviewing
(unknowing) applicants
through a puzzle for
free flip flops
• Starting meeting with
word of the day
More Personal
Examples of
Play at Work

17. Resources
• PlayMaker schools of Santa
Monica, CA
– Play, Make, Discover in Interest-
Driven Curriculum
• MIT Media Lab
– Lifelong Kindergarten
– Playful Systems
• EdSurge
– Do, Design, Discover Training
Workshops
!
• THNK.org
– Google, Zappos

18. Resources
• Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of
the Oppressed (1970)
– Generate experiences from
within
• 50 Ways to Use Your Noodle
/ Chicken & Noodle Games
– Games with innovative
equipment
• The Processing Pinnacle
– Educator’s guide to
processing experiential
learning

20. Questions?
??
?
?
?

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Thank you for learning with us!
!
Evaluate:
Please complete your session evaluation and add it to the stack as
you exit, please.
!
Commit:
What do you commit to doing as a result of participating in this
session? Tweet your commitment using #NACADADelaware

23. Jennifer Blackwell, M.S.
Delaware Technical Community College
Jack F. Owens Campus
j.blackwell@dtcc.edu
@blackwje