CATE award for The Playful Learning Association
ARU team member recognised at prestigious teaching excellence in higher education awards.
This year The Playful Learning Association (PLA) has been recognised by the Collaborative Awards for Teaching Excellence (CATE) as being a team which has enabled a change in practice for colleagues and students at an institutional or discipline level.
CATE recognises and rewards collaborative work that has had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning. Introduced in 2016, the scheme highlights the key role of teamwork in higher education.
The PLA is driven by a diverse team of educators – including academics, researchers, librarians, professional staff, and university leaders – all with a passion for play in higher education. Each contributes their unique expertise and experiences to the mission of the PLA.
ARU’s Dr Alex Moseley, Head of Anglia Learning and Teaching, was a founding member of the PLA, and along with Professor Nicola Whitton (Northumbria University) has co-chaired both this and the Playful Learning Conference since their inception in 2010.
The PLA is dedicated to enriching universities by championing playful approaches to learning, teaching, assessment, research, and all other forms of academic practice. The team collaborates to share ideas and expertise, creating transformative learning experiences that make a real difference to students in universities across the country. The team’s activities transcend disciplinary and institutional boundaries, fostering a supportive and critical environment for playful learning nationally and internationally.
The team’s main activities include running the annual conference, publishing the Journal of Play in Adulthood, providing an online support network, and hosting regular meetings and events. These activities provide an ecosystem for sharing and supporting playful learning practices, empowering educators and researchers globally.
The PLA has grown from seven founding members to more than 500, drawn from many UK HEIs and other sectors and internationally and its impact is far-reaching. The team has defined the field of playful learning in higher education, challenged perceptions of play as frivolous, and demonstrated its pedagogic potential. Its work has influenced practice and perceptions globally, inspiring changes in teaching practices, setting out a research agenda, improving inclusivity and championing non-tradition approaches to learning.
Anglia Learning and Teaching offers individual support for colleagues who wish to be considered for submission as one of our candidates for a National Teaching Fellowship or teams to develop proposals for the CATE award, with previous winners normally assisting in this mentoring role. If you have a story to share and would like to discuss an application for CATE or National Teaching Fellowship please contact [email protected].
Photo caption: Members of PLA
- Katie Piatt, University of Sussex
- Nicola Whitton, Northumbria University
- Giskin Day, Imperial College
- Alex Moseley, ARU
- John Lean, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Rosie Jones, Teeside University
- James Charnock, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Andrew Walsh, Academic Libraries North
- Mark Langan, Manchester Metropolitan University