We are in Birmingham, Alabama. It's a warm fall day, and teachers are gathered around a table, laughing with each other. 'I did it, I did it!' they exclaim. It’s the last teacher from the group to have just signed-in ChatGPT, most of them using it for the first time and are extremely proud to show us how it’s responding to the prompts we have asked them to use.

Our partnership with the National Academy Foundation has brought us to Birmingham, where we're onboarding educators to a Culturally Responsive Curriculum designed to prepare high school seniors for future careers. Central to this curriculum is an exploration of AI.

ChatGPT serves as our entry point. It's a 'low-floors' experience, as we'd say in learning-design speak – easy for learners to grasp and build confidence in exploring further. But as one teacher asks, 'Now what?' the blank canvas of ChatGPT presents a creative challenge, one that requires effort and experimentation to overcome.

On a warm morning in January, we walked through the outdoor halls of Fumbini School. We were there visiting our colleagues as part of the In the Kenya Play (KPLAY) program funded by The LEGO Foundation. This holistic program aims to introduce playful learning through teacher training, localized Playlabs and community engagement. As it entered its 3rd year, more than 111 schools were participating so far. Having already visited multiple schools in Kilifi and Kwale to meet teachers and CSOs (curriculum support officers), we were warmly greeted by the enthusiastic Play Ambassador - the teacher responsible for implementing KPLAY in the school.

What happens when you ask an educator to sit on the floor and try to look at their classroom from the point of view of a child? One might start to notice that the big closet in the back looks intimidating or the window is too high up for a child to see the beautiful Baobab tree outside. 

Despite significant advances in the field of education, classrooms around the world largely remain stuck in an outdated model that has persisted for more than a century. The traditional classroom setup looks very much the same; desks in rows facing a teacher at the front of the room.

The Magic Circle of Play is a concept in game studies that refers to the imaginary boundaries that separate the world of play from the outside world. It’s the idea that when you are in play, there is a shared understanding between players that they are entering a context where different rules and behaviors apply.

We have found that when conducting ethnography, incorporating play creates a sense of freedom that allows participants to express themselves in deeper and more authentic ways.