Play!

Play is a scholarly topic with a long and convoluted history. This faculty colloquium will make a few obligatory nods to the literature, but then focus instead on how play might be related to the Bucknell educational mission. The talk will be structured more in the spirit of a “This I Believe” essay. It is meant to challenge the Bucknell community to consider play as an important component of a healthy environment. Some questions we will visit: Why as we mature do we view play as the opposite of work? How can play be used to practice skills and explore our world-view? What is the connection between play and creative habits? How can we pair play with reflection to stimulate deep learning? How might we alter our risk/reward structures to encourage productive play?