How Play Is Reshaping the Way Some PAU Faculty Teach

What if learning looked less like a lecture and more like an experience?

That idea brought three Palo Alto University faculty members halfway around the world this summer to Playposium 2026 in Exeter, England, where educators, researchers, designers, artists, and organizational leaders gathered to explore an increasingly compelling idea: play isn't a break from learning. It may be one of its greatest catalysts.

For Dr. Kelly Coker, Professor and Assistant Provost for Faculty Success, Dr. Cristen Wathen, Associate Professor and Director of the Maureen O’Connor Center for Teaching and Learning, and Dr. Margaret Lamar, Professor and Program Chair for the Counselor Education and Supervision program, the conference offered more than new teaching techniques. It reinforced something behavioral science has been demonstrating for years: people learn more effectively when they feel curious, connected, psychologically safe, and actively engaged.

Unlike traditional academic conferences built around lectures and presentations, Playposium asks
participants to experience learning firsthand. Workshops unfold through storytelling, movement, games, creative challenges, and collaboration. Educators from disciplines as varied as counseling, psychology, law, filmmaking, organizational leadership, and community development spend several days learning alongside one another, exploring how playful experiences can unlock creativity, strengthen relationships, and deepen understanding.

"The type of play we're talking about is purposeful," Wathen explained. "It's play that has intentionality around it, but is also fun."

That philosophy also shaped PAU's own conference session. After organizers recognized how closely the faculty's ideas complemented one another, they invited Coker, Wathen, and Lamar to combine two accepted proposals into a single interactive presentation. Together, the faculty created an experience where participants learned through movement, reflection, and shared activities rather than a traditional lecture.

Rather than standing behind a podium, Coker, Wathen, and Lamar invited participants to become part of the lesson itself. The session opened with an unexpected invitation. As Coker began dancing to the Cupid Shuffle, participants had a choice: join in or watch from the sidelines. Throughout the activity, the faculty paused to reflect on what people were experiencing in the moment, using the exercise to explore group dynamics, participation, vulnerability, and leadership as they unfolded.

The session concluded with Lamar's "Talent-ish," a low-stakes talent showcase she has used with her own department to help people connect in unexpected ways. Participants were invited to share something about themselves, whether serious, silly, or somewhere in between. Some sang, others showcased unique
talents, and the session ended with a room-wide rendition of Don't Stop Believin'. The goal wasn't performance. It was creating trust, vulnerability, and authentic human connection.

For Coker, one of the conference's greatest strengths was its interdisciplinary nature.

"It gets my brain out of counselor education mode," she said. "I think about things in a much more creative way because of the structure and the interdisciplinary nature of it." Watching professionals from entirely different fields approach learning challenged her to reimagine what teaching could look like back at PAU.

For the faculty, Playposium wasn't simply a source of new ideas. It was an opportunity to build on work already taking shape at PAU.

Earlier Playposium experiences had already begun influencing teaching, residency experiences, and faculty development, while this year's conference offered fresh ideas to continue evolving that work. Together, the experiences reinforced how purposeful play can strengthen engagement, build trust, and create more meaningful learning experiences across the university.

Perhaps the biggest misconception Playposium challenged is that play and serious work exist on opposite ends of the spectrum.

"I think people sometimes make the mistake of thinking if we're being playful, we're not doing serious work," Coker reflected. "I've seen the opposite." She explained that play helps build the trust, vulnerability, and connection that allow people to engage more fully when the difficult work begins.

For a university dedicated to advancing human understanding, Playposium reinforced an important truth: meaningful learning is about more than transferring knowledge. It's about creating environments where people feel safe enough to ask questions, challenge assumptions, connect with others, and grow.

Sometimes, the journey toward deeper understanding begins not with another lecture, but with curiosity, connection, and a willingness to play.

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Image courtesy of Playposium. Used with permission.