Journal of Play in Adulthood (Oct 2022)

It's All Improv to Me

  • Gina Levitan,
  • Sarah Brooks Cohn

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5920/jpa.1031
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 2

Abstract

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Inspired by a workshop on incorporating improvisational techniques into classroom pedagogy, the in-class game Research Roulette was conceived as a way to incorporate improv and physical movement, with the specific goal of bringing a playful element into information literacy sessions. What shifts when the stated goal in a library workshop is to have fun and explore, instead of the prescriptive set of instructions of a more traditional bibliographic instruction? What happens when we move on from games and invite actual play? For students whose primary goal in a classroom or educational setting is to complete the work and do well, incorporating a playful element can be destabilizing. This article will explore the ways in which play, critical pedagogy, and information literacy intersect in the library classroom environment.

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