Dolphin Trainer: A Playful Deep Dive into the RE:PLAY Framework
Lead Author: Anna R L Carter
Additional authors: Nicola Whitton, Ian Robson, Lauren Scott, Sylvester Arnab, Dan Axson, Kevin Burdon, Neil Dixon, Monty King, Petros Lameras, Tamar Maclellan, Alex Moseley, Malcolm Murray, John Parkin, Katie Piatt, Beth Picton, Rachelle Rawlinson,Safaa Sindi, Yasi Tehrani, Mark Thomas, Helen Todd, Ian Truelove, Dave White, Andrew Wilson
Timetable: Friday Session 12: 11:15-12:00, Terrace Room
Description:
Ever wondered what happens when musical chairs meets learning design? Welcome to Dolphin Trainer – a high-energy, competitive session that will have participants jumping between framework stages while designing playful learning experiences. This fin-tastic session transforms the seven-stage RE:PLAY Framework into an unforgettable playful learning adventure that proves the best professional development happens when we’re willing to play.
Drawing from the classic part game musical chairs and the pedagogical power of dolphin training (where positive reinforcement and immediate feedback drive learning – oh yeah), this session creates chaos that mirrors the messy, iterative reality of playful learning design. In just 45 minutes, participants will experience firsthand how movement, time pressure and collaborative competition can enhance creativity and deepen understanding of design principles.
How It Works:
The space is set up like a musical chairs line up with seven coloured zones marked on the floor, each containing inflatable dolphins: Reimagine (red), Reality check (orange), Redesign (green), Realise (blue), Reboot & Reflect (purple), Research (turquoise) and Rejoice (pink). After a lightning-fast framework introduction (3 mins), participants form teams of 4-5. When music plays, they navigate the space, when it stops, they grab the nearest dolphin.
Whatever dolphin you are holding determines which framework stage you are demonstrating. Holding Reimagine, your team discusses and pitches a wild reimagining of traditional teaching. Reboot & Reflect? Share one teaching failure and lesson learned – no porpoise in hiding our mistakes! Teams earn points for creativity, speed, and authentic engagement with each stage, winners receive a golden dolphin trophy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_sf57-Zt5k).
Three escalating rounds with dolphin music build momentum. Round one (10 mins) focuses on individual stages with team responses. Round two (10 mins) requires teams to connect two stages together and showing how they relate to each other – like dolphins through water. The final challenge (10 mins) is a relay improvisation (yes and only thank you!) where teams must move through each of the seven stages in order, demonstrating how one real teaching scenario flows through the complete framework while passing dolphins like relay batons. This isn’t just playing around – this is learning with a porpoise!
References, web links and other resources:
[1] REPLAY Framework: https://research.northumbria.ac.uk/replay/replay-learning-design-framework/
Dolphin Trainer: A Playful Deep Dive into the RE:PLAY Framework
Lead Author: Anna R L Carter
Additional authors: Nicola Whitton, Ian Robson, Lauren Scott, Sylvester Arnab, Dan Axson, Kevin Burdon, Neil Dixon, Monty King, Petros Lameras, Tamar Maclellan, Alex Moseley, Malcolm Murray, John Parkin, Katie Piatt, Beth Picton, Rachelle Rawlinson,Safaa Sindi, Yasi Tehrani, Mark Thomas, Helen Todd, Ian Truelove, Dave White, Andrew Wilson
Timetable: Friday Session 12: 11:15-12:00, Terrace Room
Description:
Ever wondered what happens when musical chairs meets learning design? Welcome to Dolphin Trainer – a high-energy, competitive session that will have participants jumping between framework stages while designing playful learning experiences. This fin-tastic session transforms the seven-stage RE:PLAY Framework into an unforgettable playful learning adventure that proves the best professional development happens when we’re willing to play.
Drawing from the classic part game musical chairs and the pedagogical power of dolphin training (where positive reinforcement and immediate feedback drive learning – oh yeah), this session creates chaos that mirrors the messy, iterative reality of playful learning design. In just 45 minutes, participants will experience firsthand how movement, time pressure and collaborative competition can enhance creativity and deepen understanding of design principles.
How It Works:
The space is set up like a musical chairs line up with seven coloured zones marked on the floor, each containing inflatable dolphins: Reimagine (red), Reality check (orange), Redesign (green), Realise (blue), Reboot & Reflect (purple), Research (turquoise) and Rejoice (pink). After a lightning-fast framework introduction (3 mins), participants form teams of 4-5. When music plays, they navigate the space, when it stops, they grab the nearest dolphin.
Whatever dolphin you are holding determines which framework stage you are demonstrating. Holding Reimagine, your team discusses and pitches a wild reimagining of traditional teaching. Reboot & Reflect? Share one teaching failure and lesson learned – no porpoise in hiding our mistakes! Teams earn points for creativity, speed, and authentic engagement with each stage, winners receive a golden dolphin trophy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_sf57-Zt5k).
Three escalating rounds with dolphin music build momentum. Round one (10 mins) focuses on individual stages with team responses. Round two (10 mins) requires teams to connect two stages together and showing how they relate to each other – like dolphins through water. The final challenge (10 mins) is a relay improvisation (yes and only thank you!) where teams must move through each of the seven stages in order, demonstrating how one real teaching scenario flows through the complete framework while passing dolphins like relay batons. This isn’t just playing around – this is learning with a porpoise!
References, web links and other resources:
[1] REPLAY Framework: https://research.northumbria.ac.uk/replay/replay-learning-design-framework/