Pedagodzilla

In this episode we revisit social constructivism, expand on the ideas around it – and work out how the council of Elrond use it to destroy the One Ring. You’ll be able to hear the clinking of chains in the background as the deep nerds within us are restrained for your listening sanity. An uncut… Continue reading How does the council of Elrond use social constructivism to destroy Sauron’s ring?

Episode 2 of our very late miniseries recorded at the Playful Learning 2023 conference, where we discuss what we can learn from Fabulous Formative Failures, and the Danish movement of Pissedårlig undervisning, or Piss Poor Teaching. Alistair Aitcheson (Alistair Aitcheson) and Laura Mitchell (York University) have a second go at recording their experiences of a… Continue reading Fabulous formative failure with Alistair Aitcheson and Laura Mitchell at Playful Learning 2023

In this episode we’re joined by the fab Dr Elliott Spaeth to discuss UDL (universal design for learning), the least played game in the world D&D (Dungeons and Dragons), and how it’s possible to get halfway through an episode before you realise you’ve been asking the wrong questions all along. Also we actually remembered to… Continue reading How can applying UDL principles make you a better dungeon master in D&D?

Ye gods, we recorded this episode a year ago, a year ago! That’s how far behind we are with our editing. Shameful. In this episode we discuss much loved snuggly sunday blanket TV show All Creatures Great and Small, based on James Herriot’s awesome books, and use it to understand Apprenticeships as a pedagogic model.… Continue reading How can (All) Creatures Great and Small boost employability through apprenticeships?

It’s been a while since we’ve done an old style Mike and Mark jobby – remember when these were all we did? We’re tackling ZPD! Everyone’s favourite flipping long way of saying graspable learning. And we’re bouncing it off beloved stabby franchise, Assassin’s Creed. We mention a few things in the episode by the way,… Continue reading How does the Zone of Proximal Development make you a better parkour murderer in Assassin’s Creed?

It’s over, and it’s been an absolute belter of a conference. Join us for an explosive opener from write-the-theme-tune sing-the-theme-tune, join our our headliners for the day, and finally Mark Mike and Nic sit down to reflect on the conference, and start mulling plans for next year.

It’s another very scrappily pulled together daily update, hastily yanked from the RodeCaster on to Mike’s laptop, clumsily mushed together and then chucked out in to internet land. In it, we’re joined by Alex Mosely and Rosie Jones (Playful Learning Organisers) and Giskin Day the headline act to talk about her keynote, how everyone’s doing… Continue reading Playful Learning 2023 Day 2 Recap

Bam! It’s Playful Learning 2023! We’ve all had too much wine (well, Mike has), and we’re giving you an unedited flavour of the conference in three chunks! A quick intro from Mike and Mark, we’re then joined by headline act Lara Ratnaraja, and then tailed off with a look back at day 1 with Pen… Continue reading Playful Learning 2023 Day 1 Recap

Ye gods the end is coming! Grab your go-bag, a cricket bat and join Mike, Mark and Dr Laura Mitchell as we break down how thinking about thinking can help you go to the bathroom safely as the world comes to an end. Because we’re role-playing a serious academic outfit, here’s some handy links related… Continue reading How does metacognition enable people to be the heroes in (dystopian) LARP?

In this episode we’re joined by the fabulous Dr Jane Secker and Chris Morrison from the Copyright Waffle Podcast, where we revisit The Muppets, communities of practice – and share in the experiences in actually sitting within a community of practice. We loved meeting Chris and Jane so much at Playful Learning that we just… Continue reading How do you create the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, muppetational community of practice? (Ft. Copyright Waffle)

It’s time for another conference-in-a-pod! A shrunk down flavour of the whole Remixplay 5: Secret Agents of Change conference, January 2023 – Coventry. It’s a conference for mega-educators who use playful practice to engage and build communities, and to then set that community loose on projects of monumental societal change. You’ll hear chunks of the… Continue reading Remixplay 5 2023: Conference-in-a-pod!

We are once again joined by the fab Sheila Webber, information literacy officiando, as we reminisce over the fabulousness of Supermarionation shows gone by, and ask ourselves – what is and makes a Learning Organisation? Is Spectrum a Learning Organisation? No?! Why not?! If you’re wondering why schools, universities and other institutional bastions are often… Continue reading Why is Spectrum not a Learning Organistion? (Ft. Captain Scarlet)

In this episode we’re joined by the fab Sheila Webber, where we find out what on earth phenomenography is (and how to say it, after a lot of practice) – and how it could remove the mad drama from hit reality show, ‘Say Yes To The Dress’. If you’re planning a wedding yourself then this… Continue reading Could phenomenography increase the happiness quotient in Say Yes To The Dress?

Moar minis! Gosh crikey but we got a lot of great stuff at Playful Learning 2022! In this mini, we’re joined by Scott Wilson Senior Data and Analytics Dev at JISC, discussing the phenomenal difficulty of Elden Ring, the joy of innuendo and Across this series, we're looking at answering the questions:

Should we rename this podcast ‘the playful learning mini podcast’? Maybe. But in the meantime – here’s another slamming chat from playful learning 2022, this time with Assistant Professor at the Centre for Global Learning (GLEA) of Coventry University, Luca Morini! We chat gamification, eco terrorists with PTSD, and the jealousy that erupts around floppy… Continue reading Luca Morini, Final Fantasy 7 and floppy hats – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

It’s a cheeky double, where we speak with Head of School of Digital Education Liz Ellis, and Programme Manager at the Open University, Alice Gallagher! It’s ostensibly about the intersect between games and practice, but we also end up having a lovely chat about all sorts of games, and how knackered we all were three… Continue reading Liz Ellis, Alice Gallagher and terraforming foxes – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

In this slightly unusual one, Mike decides to ambush a passer by shortly after setting up his gear – and has a lovely chat with an attendee from a totally different conference: Revered Lindsay Southern! Lindsay is a teacher herself, and we talk Dobble, making connections – and how there’s a cool two player variant… Continue reading Reverend Lindsay Southern, Dobble and Connections –

Scratchy voiced hosts Mark and Mike are joined by Teacher Fellow at De Montfort University and Lego enthusiast Julia Reeve! We chat playfulness compared to play, mindfulness and flow. Listening back to this I realised Julia has a really relaxing voice, so make yourself a nice cup of tea, nab a biccy and give yourself… Continue reading Julia Reeve, Lego and Flow – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

It’s time for another smashing chat about games and edu-practice, this time with the fab Dr Pen Holland, York’s secret biology mathematician, discussing the brilliantly brutal game Catastrophic, and the brain toaster of Red-7. As with the whole series, we're looking at answer the questions: Pen gives some slamming advice on how to design an… Continue reading Pen Holland and Catastrophically good game design – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

This is like an advent calendar of podcasts, but in November! Ho ho ho! Andy Walsh, editor for the Journal of Play in Adulthood and Rachelle O’Brien, Senior Learning Designer at DCAD, join us in another of our Playful Learning minis to talk about ‘We didn’t playtest this at all’ and Sonic the Hedgehog. Across… Continue reading Andy Walsh and Rachelle O’Brien on the fabulousness of playfulness – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

It’s another Playful Learning mini, this time joined by the fab Claire Timmins, senior teaching fellow at the University of Strathclyde – where we talk about mandibles, Minecraft, Articulate and Mike and Mark’s embarrassingly poor knowledge of the physiology of speech reproduction. As with the whole series, we’re looking at answer the questions: Also our… Continue reading Claire Timmins, Minecraft and articulate mandibles – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

In this games and practice mini, recorded at Playful Learning 2022, Mike is joined by Daisy Abbott – Researcher and research developer in (amongst other things) games based learning, and creator of the authentically cruel ‘How to fail your research degree’. We’ll be looking to answer the question: What games are the UK's top education… Continue reading Daisy Abbott, Galaxy Trucker and How to fail your research degree – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

It’s another playful learning mini, where we’re joined by Dr Laura Mitchell, lecturer in management at the University of York, answering the question: What games are the UK's top education professionals passionate about? Do they see an intersect between what attracts them to those games, and how they approach their day to day practice? Laura… Continue reading Dr Laura Mitchell, Werewolf and LARP- PGZ@PL games and practice mini

We’re joined by Dave White, head of Head of Digital Education and Academic Practice at University of Arts London, and President of ALT, answering the questions: What games are the UK's top education professionals passionate about? Do they see an intersect between what attracts them to those games, and how they approach their day to… Continue reading Dave White and Return of the Obra Dinn – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

We’re joined by co-chair of Playful Learning and Head of Anglia Learning and Teaching at Anglia Ruskin University Alex Mosely in another is our series of conversations with the UK’s top education professionals, looking to answer two questions: What games are the UK's top education professionals passionate about? Do they see an intersect between what… Continue reading Alex Moseley and Carcassonne – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

Cor Playful Learning 2022 was a while back wasn’t it? We’re on our third Prime Minister since then! While at the conference, we recorded a series of short conversations with other attendees (and one passer by) looking to answer two questions: What games are the UK’s top education professionals passionate about? Do they see an… Continue reading Prof Nicola Whitton and Monkey Island – PGZ@PL games and practice mini

Join Mike, Mark and special guest Puiyin Wong as we start an accidental, on-air imposters support group – and discuss Imposter Syndrome, occasionally remembering to frame it against The Wizard of Oz, but more often against our own bloody knuckled life experiences. We’ve contacted the OED, and they’re going to change the plural of Imposter… Continue reading How do a scarecrow, a lion a tin man and a gal from Kansas overcome Imposter Syndrome?

In this episode I’m joined by the fabulous Professor Rebecca Ferguson, where we get Misty eyed, Brock the mold and Ash the tough questions (weak pun that one) as we explore behaviourism through the lens of Pokémon Go. We mentioned a couple of publications, here they are for your referencing pleasure: Tobin, J., Buckingham, D.,… Continue reading How does behaviourism help players ‘catch them all’ in Pokémon Go?

Mike here! I’ve edited together a choice selection of the 8 hours or so of material we recorded alongside a few of my reflections to produce this conference-in-a-pod, an audio scrapbook / selection box of my experience at Playful Learning 2022. I’ve written an accompanying blog post for the Open University Learning Design Team Blog,… Continue reading Playful Learning 2022: Conference-in-a-pod

Recording something quick and scrappy while the conference wraps up around us! An edited version of this will appear in due course, but if you’d mad hungry for the flavour of the conference then here it be. Mildly processed to make it listenable, but uncut. All of this was recorded on a tiny wee Zoom… Continue reading Playful Learning 2022 Day 3: Mike and Mark’s reflections, Sylvester Arnab’s keynote and the closing ceremony

‘More unedited content?!’ I hear you cry. ‘Has the boy lost all pretence at quality?!’. Well partly that, but mainly this poor little laptop is just about up to connecting to the internet to upload mp3s. We’ll be home in a few days, with the chonky boi PC for some proper editing. And then you’ll… Continue reading Pedagodzilla at Playful Learning Day 2: Jane Secker and Chris Morrison, their keynote copyright cabaret and waffles! (nearly unedited)

It hurts to put something out without editing it first, but to quote a topical outgoing donkey ‘them’s the breaks’. An edited version of this, with promised links, magic wonder and mystery will appear in the future – I solemnly promise. Review of day 2 of the fantastic Playful Learning Conference 2022, with Mike (Meeee),… Continue reading Pedagodzilla at Playful Learning Day 2: Review of the day with co-co chairs Nic and Rosie (unedited)

This sounds a bit like a Harry Potter book title now I look at it. More nearly unedited coverage from the Playful Learning Conference 2022! This time interviewing the fab Dr Elliott Spaeth to discuss his keynote, shoot the breeze and be a little bit late for the next parallel session. Elliott’s favourite Pokemon is… Continue reading Pedagodzilla at Playful Learning 2022 – Day 1: Dr Elliott Spaeth and the Keynote of Inclusive Learning

Live(ish) and largely unedited because I’m editing this together on a tiny laptop in a hotel room! Interview with Nick and Alex, the mighty cochairs at Playful Learning Conference 2022! (More details and some actual episode text to follow once I’ve a sleep. Cor it doesn’t half take it out of you all this learning… Continue reading Pedagodzilla at Playful Learning 2022 – Day 1: Introducing Playful Learning

In this B Movie special, we’re looking at three delightfully ‘B’ movies that are, if not close to our hearts, then at least in the same postcode – and using them to answer some mini bloody stupid pedagogic questions, including: How do we Short Circuit Mazlow’s Heirachy of Needs? (Ft. Short Circuit) How can we… Continue reading Why are B Movies so good for answering bloody stupid pedagogic questions?

It’s an Olde Stylee episode, with just Mike, Mark and a wee focused nerdy question. Been a while since we’ve done one of these! It’s Dune, Frank Herbert’s genre defining and much parodied space opera, and graduate attributes. Attributes for graduates innit. We had a lot of fun recording this one. Can you tell? Also… Continue reading How did thinking about humanity’s graduate attributes guide the God Emperor of Dune’s golden path?

This week we’re joined by Mary Jacob, as we chat about our quintessential pop culture zombos, using them to pick apart neuromyths – and in particular the biggy – Learning Styles! Before the wickerman gets erected, we’re not conflating these with learner preferences, or learning requirement/needs/delivery/accessibility reqs – we’re focusing on the VARK psychometric guff.… Continue reading Are learning styles the boss level zombie of neuromyths?

Or to ask the full question, how can the RZA, the GZA, Raekwon the Chef, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, ODB, U-God, and Ghostface Killah inform our online collaborative learning experiences? To help answer this, we’re joined by the brilliant Terry Greene, Senior eLearning Designer at Trent University, Ontario and host of the cracking… Continue reading How can the Wu-Tang Clan inform our online collaborative learning experiences?

Boy oh boy do we have a special one for you! In this episode we demystify and separate out Gamification and Games Based Learning, talk about one of the best action/sci-fi movies of all time, The Matrix – and get up on our soap boxes about how to take the red pill to add cool… Continue reading How is Gamification like being trapped in The Matrix? And what is the real world of Games Based Learning?

In this episode Mike and Mark pull out the pedagogic pocketknife they’ve been building up over the last 30-ish episodes, and put it to work examining a fun group philosophy learning activity, Funlosophy, presented by Dom Jordan. If you enjoy the episode and want to treat us to a heated caffeinated beverage, then head on… Continue reading How can two and a half years of pedagogic podcasting help us examine an amnesiac hitman? (Ft. Funlosophy)

It’s a very special episode! We’ll be descending to the smoky depths of the pedagogical open mic club, where a patter of polymath pedagogues propound for your listening pleasure! Join Mike C, Grainne O, Mark C, Liz E, Mark W, Beccy C, Paul A and Chris C in performances and discussions that cover neuromyths, schools… Continue reading The Pedagodzilla Open Mic Night (Ft. Gamification)

What’s more fun than using a well established model with a snappy acronym? Making your own! Stay tuned for the GHIBLI and BUMHOLES models. God help us. In this episode Mike and Mark explore heists as a genre, Avengers Endgame in particular and debate the whole concept of having a bleeding obvious acronym over the… Continue reading How can the ADDIE model help you in heists? Ft. Mike and Mark’s own horrific instructional design models and Avengers Endgame

This episode, join us as Learning Design professionals from four of the UK’s most prestigious universities come together to help Hogwarts, the magical school for witchcraft and wizardy, pivot from magical to non magical teaching. Why you may ask? Because of a terrible disease that’s ravaged the wizarding world and disrupted everyone’s lives! Any similarities… Continue reading Harry Potter and the Learning Design Proposal

This episode, join Mark, Beccy and Mike as we engage in waaaaay too much Apollo 13 and space race geekery before finally getting on to the subject of constructionism, what it is, and why Mike seems to get in confused with all other words beginning with the letter ‘C’. Could we have edited out the… Continue reading How did the Apollo 13 crew use constructionism to return safely to Earth?

How’s that for an unwieldy episode title? Join Mike, Mark and Paul as they gradually lose the plot, smashing everyone’s favourite bit of cognitive bias, the Dunning Kruger Effect, in to everyone’s favourite bit of Schadenfreude voyeurism TV, Come Dine With Me. We close out this episode with a song from Plantfoot, and their fabulously… Continue reading ‘Come Dunning with me, Kruger!’ Whether teaching or dining – how do you know if what you are serving up is actually any good?

Oh boy do these episode titles keep getting longer and weirder or is it just me? Also this is the March episode…despite the release date of April…sorry about that! Mad month. Again…(thousand yard stare, sees helicopters and explosions) This week Join Becky, Mark and Mike as they try and figure out how those darn kids… Continue reading ‘How do the Losers Club avoid being eaten by shapeshifting monsters from beyond the void? ‘IT’s’ social constructivism!’ (Ft. activity theory)

Boy oh boy do we have a treat for you. Join Mike, Mark, Clare, Dot, Olivia, Mark number 2 and Chris in a multi university Pedagogic Poetry Slam mashup. Beat Poet Mark Childs gives lectures the gentle treatment. Piratical buccaneer Clare Hill shanties our ship about the benefits of ICEBERGs. Ghost of a Victorian music … Continue reading "The Pedagodzilla Pedagogic Poetry Slam"

Welcome to the *cough* January Episode! Absolutely not published late. It’s pretty topical, but topical if you remember January 2021 – and that might as well have been last century at this point. In this episode we’ll be looking at the Beandad twitterstorm in a teacup, and using it to think about constructivism, our own … Continue reading "How can you make constructivism amount to more than a hill of beans?"

Merry Christmas from Mike and Mark at Pedagodzilla! In this extra festive episode we explore Jack Mezirow’s transformative learning, through the lens of the greatest Christmas movie of all time (and by gum we’ll die on that hill) The Muppets Christmas Carol. Also Mike had to edit out around 20 minutes of ranting about the … Continue reading "Christmas Special! How do spooky muppets guide Scrooge through transformative Learning? (ft. experiential learning & rants)"

Join a band of starry eyed adventurers, Mike Collins (Learning Designer at the Open University, Bard), Chris Cox, (Learning Designer at Cranfield University, Paladin) and Mark Childs (Senior Learning Designer at Durham University, Rogue), as they battle through concepts and goblins, in search of the thrice edged blade! We explore narrative in narrative, narrative in … Continue reading "Why is a Mickey Mouse degree actually the best kind of degree you could experience? (Or, Pedagodzilla and the tale of The Thrice Edged Blade)"

In yet another weird and wonderful special, Mark Childs, Mark Williams and Mike Collins each present a silly pedagogic monologue in the style of everyone’s favourite northern playwright. Hopefully he won’t take us to court over our dreadful impersonations. We’ll use these carefully crafted dramatic masterpieces to discuss: Vampiric Learning Styles. Magical journeys through virtual … Continue reading "How litigious is Alan Bennett when it comes to pedagogic monologues?"