Playful Learning 2026 Programme

The Playful Leader 

Lead Author: Mair Bull

Additional authors: Kirsteen Aubrey k.aubrey@mmu.ac.uk

Timetable: Wednesday Session 2: 14:45-15:30, Gallery Room 1

Description:

The Playful Leader sparks a transformation in how we understand leadership in education, shifting the focus from its visible structure to one of a lived experience and authentic feel. Drawing on established leadership research and Owen’s (2009) three Ps (People, Positivity, Professionalism), this workshop introduces a bold fourth dimension: Playfulness. 
 
Through hands-on, embodied activities inspired by the TRACE framework (tactility, reflection, auditory, collaboration, and embodiment), participants will:
– explore playfulness as a legitimate and strategic leadership practice.
– engage in object-based learning such as curiosity bags and prompt cards.
– collaborate to explore how different sensory cues influence authority, connection and decisionmaking.
– cocreate a collective ‘Playful Leader’ model as a shared understanding of playful leadership in practice.
 
Together, we’ll experiment with the tensions between play and authority, test sensory and collaborative approaches to leadership, and reimagine the leader as something more flexible, relational, and creative.

References, web links and other resources:

Bryman, A. (2007). Effective leadership in higher education: a literature review. Studies in Higher Education, 32(6),
693–710. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070701685114 
Owen, K. (2009) (2 nd  ed.) How to Lead. Pearson education Limited.  
Nørgård, R.T. and Whitton, N. (2023) The playful university: Philosophy, pedagogy, politics and principles. Abingdon: Routledge. 
Stark, J.S., Briggs, C.L. & Rowland-Poplawski, J. Curriculum Leadership Roles of Chairpersons in Continuously Planning Departments. Research in Higher Education
43, 329–356 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014841118080 
Siswant, I., Wu, M., Ma, H., Arifin, Z., Solikin, M., Widyianto, A. (2023) ‘The characteristics of efficacious leader in higher education: A literature review’. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn) 17 (1) pp. 145~157. 
Ruben, B.D., De Lisi, R., Gigliotti, R.A. (2021) (2 nd  ed.)  A Guide for Leaders in Higher Education: Concepts, Competencies, and Tools. Routledge.