Candis Watts Smith, Professor of Political Science

The best decision I made last semester was to apply to become a Playful Pedagogy Fellow. It has always been a goal of mine to continuously refine and elevate my craft as a teacher, and the Playful Pedagogy Fellowship (PPF) was a new, exciting stop on that path. I have many things to say about PPF, but I will limit myself to three: 

First, it should be made clear that Nan Mullenneaux is a genius. I have been singing Nan's praises since the day that I met her. She is welcoming, kind, and generous. She is an encyclopedia of ideas and a wonderful guide into the world of embodied learning. 

Second, the group of teacher-scholars who are also PPFs was an added bonus. The examples and exercises we engaged in, the time we had to reflect on challenges we encounter in our classrooms, and the opportunities to offer potential solutions (or just listen) all served to build community among the fellows. 

Finally, I was able to incorporate so much of what I learned as a PPF in my classroom immediately. Some of what I learned was technical exercises to help students think about an issue or a topic from a different angle. But, a lot of what I learned helped me to think about things from a different perspective and to widen the scope of ways and tools I can use to interact with others. Talk about cognitive flexibility. I really got a chance to exercise new muscles, and that's been really exciting.