A Pedagogy of Play(s)

This chapter introduces the concept of a Pedagogy of Play(s) as a transformative approach to classroom teaching and learning. When instructors enter a classroom, they are playing a role. When students enter a classroom, they too are playing a role. A Pedagogy of Play(s) empowers teachers to transparently embrace the artifice of classroom learning using principles of playwriting and performance theory to destabilize traditional power dynamics, engage students, and enhance the lasting impact of their courses. Drawing on sociologist Erving Goffman’s theory of the presentation of self, this chapter explores the idea of classrooms as dramatic and social stages with both public (frontstage) and private (backstage) realms. This approach empowers teachers to embrace the artifice of classroom learning using principles of playwriting and performance theory to engage students and disrupt traditional power dynamics. Unlike traditional playful pedagogies that focus on strategies to engage students during class time, a Pedagogy of Play(s) supports identity development by encouraging teachers to align their authentic self with their role as educator and provides strategies to do so. This chapter presents activities and prompts that facilitate this reflective process for both teachers and students as well as sample responses from a diverse range of faculty engaged in this approach. Ultimately, a Pedagogy of Play(s) seeks to transform classrooms from public, frontstage performances to private, backstage rehearsal spaces where students and faculty alike can drop their masks and engage authentically with the content and with each other in order to achieve lasting learning.