Transforming Teaching Excellence with Play-Based Learning | Liz Paushter

Liz Paushter, Executive Director of the Badavas Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at Bentley University, discusses her fascinating work, “Play-Based Learning and Faculty Development: Transforming Teaching Excellence.” She explains how her play-based approach to faculty development began with a moment of honesty in a department meeting: while faculty worried that students were afraid to fail, a colleague challenged the group to ask, “How are we any different?” She then introduced a quick, constraint-based number game that immediately shifted the room faculty laughed, made mistakes openly, and even celebrated small failures, revealing how play can build psychological safety and unlock creativity in adult learners. From there, Liz connects play to learning science and adult learning theory, arguing that curiosity sits at the center of innovation and that playful, community-based experiences help educators take risks, reflect, and try new teaching practices with greater confidence. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com. Disclaimer: A. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. B. Liz Paushter shared profound insights from her research, “Play-Based Learning and Faculty Development: Transforming Teaching Excellence”, during an engaging conversation on the Business Talk podcast channel. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.