Teaching professionals are educators, motivators, facilitators, experimenters, and innovators. Yet on top of all that, professors are also activators, designers, and creators. At the school-community directed Del Aula al Laboratorio (‘From the Classroom to the Laboratory’) meeting, we aim to defend the image of professors as creators, of those that design educational spaces of experimentation and experience. The purpose of this meeting is to bring together 'maker’ professors and create a context for training and reflection.
Following the school year’s entire body of curriculum, we chose play as the guiding principle of the 2019 edition. We chose play as a tool for active learning, as a stimulant to motivate students, and as a resource for limitless creation. We understood the potential of play-based learning, seeing play as a cooperative and emotional exercise. Invited guests provided a deeper understanding of the world of play in education through their varying perspectives. We saw how play and video games can be used in the classroom, as well as the professor’s role and how to create games together with students. From a starting point based on personal experience and theoretical bases, we dove into the universe of the educational gamer.
To wrap up the meeting, we had a chance to reflect on what we learned, share our own experiences, and propose new challenges for the following school year.
Shall we play?