{"id":900,"date":"2025-06-24T14:07:39","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T13:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/?p=900"},"modified":"2025-06-24T15:50:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T14:50:27","slug":"dubious-fantasy-characters-on-the-trail-of-pedagogical-change-or-join-us-in-thinking-about-evaluating-processes-of-change-in-replay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/dubious-fantasy-characters-on-the-trail-of-pedagogical-change-or-join-us-in-thinking-about-evaluating-processes-of-change-in-replay\/","title":{"rendered":"Dubious fantasy characters on the trail of pedagogical change (or: join us in thinking about evaluating processes of change in RE:PLAY)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hi \u2013 I\u2019m Ian Robson, and I\u2019m a co-investigator on RE:PLAY with a focus on qualitative process insights and evaluation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ian-Robson-Northumbria-University-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"An image of Ian Robson, the blog post author, waving at camera.\" class=\"wp-image-901\" srcset=\"https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ian-Robson-Northumbria-University-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ian-Robson-Northumbria-University-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ian-Robson-Northumbria-University-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ian-Robson-Northumbria-University-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ian-Robson-Northumbria-University.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In RE:PLAY we like a bit of controlled chaos and creative design, and we like to understand the magic of change in all of that as well.<\/strong> You can see this right across our four themes, which I summarise here in criminal brevity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>State of Play<\/strong>: what is going on now with playful learning and what do senior leaders think?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Play in Action<\/strong>: Case study experiences dive into the benefits, challenges and opportunities of playful learning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Design to Play<\/strong>: crafts a playful learning design framework, process and toolkit from the expertise of students, module leaders, academic support staff and learning designers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Evidencing Play<\/strong>: researches the effects of playful learning on student learning, intrinsic motivation, fear of failure, sense of belonging and creativity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the flying monkey to Nic\u2019s evil witch, the Luigi to her Mario, or the level 8 Bard Wood Elf to her level 10 Barbarian Half-Orc (Berserker sub-class), my role is to support activity across our themes, with a particular focus at the moment on theme 3 \u2013 design to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ian and Nic in totally realistic image.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Nic-Ian-REPLAY.jpg\" alt=\"An image of the post author as a Elf Bard, with the principal investigator, Professor Nic Whitton as a Barbarian half-ord. Sorry Nic. \" class=\"wp-image-904\" title=\"illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Nic-Ian-REPLAY.jpg 512w, https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Nic-Ian-REPLAY-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understanding and tracking transformations in playful pedagogy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Design to Play, not only do we anticipate moments of chaos and bags of creativity, but <strong>we want to understand and chart transformations in pedagogy<\/strong> and help others spark their own playful design. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the moment, whilst plucking on my Bard\u2019s lute and avoiding Nic\u2019s flail, I\u2019m <strong>thinking about participatory evaluation in RE:PLAY activities:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Firstly, we will be holding a workshop with learning designers from across our institutional partners at the end of September, and I want us to pay attention to that process. Our focus at that workshop is to begin shaping a playful learning framework and design process. It will be creative collaborative and playful (of course).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Right now, across our partner institutions, we are identifying interest from module leaders who want to playfully redesign their modules. We will be comparing experiences and outcomes of module before and after a playful learning redesign. We want to understand what changes, how and why.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So \u2013 <strong>what principles do we draw on as we approach process and impact evaluation in these two activities and more?<\/strong> Imagine us, drawing round the crackling fire, plans and charts in hand, weapons nearby, ale poured. The scene is set\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Council of Whispers&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/group.jpg\" alt=\"A group of four fantasy characters discuss their plans...\" class=\"wp-image-907\" srcset=\"https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/group.jpg 512w, https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/group-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/research.northumbria.ac.uk\/replay\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/group-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Setting:<\/strong> A dimly lit tavern, the air thick with pipe smoke and the clatter of tankards. Four adventurers huddle over a worn map \u2013 not of a dungeon, but of a strange &#8220;Project Plan.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Half-Elf Bard:<\/strong> (Tapping a finger on a diagram labelled &#8220;Activity System&#8221;) So, this &#8216;RE:PLAY Project&#8217;\u2026 it seeks to infuse &#8216;playful learning&#8217; into the very fabric of institutions. But what do we truly measure in such an endeavour? Do we count the smiles? The &#8216;level-ups&#8217; in understanding?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Half-Orc Barbarian:<\/strong> (Grunts, flexing a bicep) Bah! I say outcome is what matters! Did the challenge become easier? Did the foe fall quicker? What was the result? Less grumbling in the lecture halls? More gold&#8230; I mean, knowledge&#8230; acquired?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dwarven Druid:<\/strong> (Stroking his beard, eyes distant) Nay. The path taken is as vital as the treasure found. We must consider the emergence \u2013 the new shoots that sprout where old roots lay. How did the &#8216;play&#8217; take root? Did it shift the very ground beneath their feet? What unexpected blossoms appeared?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Human Warrior:<\/strong> Aye, the process itself! What strange new rituals did they devise to bring forth this &#8216;playfulness&#8217;? Did they sing new songs of collaboration? Did the sages learn to dance? We should ask: &#8216;What new ways of doing or thinking appeared that no one had planned?&#8217; And, &#8216;How did the journey of creating this play feel \u2013 was it a chore, or a joyous quest?&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Half-Orc Barbarian:<\/strong> (Scoffs) Joyous quest? More likely a bogged-down march! But fine, if we must delve into the how\u2026 How did their &#8216;toolkit&#8217; help, or hinder? Was it a trusty axe, or a blunt spoon? &#8216;How did these new trinkets \u2013 this framework, this toolkit \u2013 actually change how they worked?&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Half-elf Bard:<\/strong> And the very object of their activity, has it changed? What were they truly aiming for before, and what is it now? Is it still just &#8216;knowledge transfer,&#8217; or something more vibrant, like &#8216;fostering creative spirit&#8217;? We need to ask: &#8216;Did their shared goal shift or expand once play entered the scene?&#8217; And, &#8216;What problems or frustrations did these new playful methods address, or even reveal?&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dwarven Druid:<\/strong> Precisely! It&#8217;s not just the final spell, but the incantations, the ingredients, and the very intent behind the casting. We must understand the whole mediating activity system. From the lone scholar designing a module to the grand institution dictating policy \u2013 how did each part touch and transform the other through play?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Half-orc Barbarian:<\/strong> (Slams her tankard) So, we ask: &#8216;What was different about the treasure at the end of the dungeon because of this &#8216;playful&#8217; way of fighting?&#8217; And also, &#8216;Did the warriors themselves change how they swung their swords, or just the direction they pointed?&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Human warrior:<\/strong> (Nods slowly) And crucially: &#8216;What tensions arose when old ways met these new playful currents?&#8217; For even a healthy forest knows the tension of growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Half-elf Bard:<\/strong> (Smiling, pulling out a small lute) A complex ballad indeed. But if we listen closely to the whispers of process, object, and emergence, we might just compose a symphony of understanding from this &#8216;RE:PLAY&#8217; adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Post-Script<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you wish to join this band of slightly smelly but faithful characters, you also can think about how an institution, learning community or individual might change through Playful Learning, and how we might track that. Our thinking at the moment us to place any \u2018learning\u2019 in the context of a pedagogical activity system, and to see how the parts of the system change and move as they engage with playful learning pedagogy, and what that does to the object of learning itself. If you are intrigued by this idea, you might want to read more about Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (Sannino et al, 2009), Situational Analysis (Clarke et al., 2022) or Practice Theorisation (Hui et al., 2017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clarke, A., Washburn, R., and Friese, C. (2022). <em>Situational analysis in practic<\/em><em>e: mapping relationalities across disciplines<\/em> (2<sup>nd<\/sup> Ed.), London: Sage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hui, A., Schatzki, T., and Shove, E. (Eds.) (2017) <em>The Nexus of Practices: Connections, Constellations, Practitioners<\/em>, London: Routledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sannino, A., Daniels, H., and Gutierrez, K.D. (Eds.) (2009) <em>Learning and Expanding with Activity Theory<\/em>, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi \u2013 I\u2019m Ian Robson, and I\u2019m a co-investigator on RE:PLAY with a focus on qualitative process insights and evaluation. 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