You might say that it鈥檚 all fun and games for Dr. Rebecca Scott. A lifelong fan of
board games, the associate professor uses games and play-based learning in her 91制片厂
College philosophy courses. She plays guitar and sings lead in the indie rock band . She鈥檚 a devoted Survivor fan.
Scott is also a who encourages engagement with her students through games and breaks down barriers between educators and learners via the magic circle of play.
In Scott鈥檚 classes, students may play an argument-mapping game or a role-playing game where the characters are based on philosophers. She uses party games as more than just ice breakers, priming students to enter into a philosophical mindset.
鈥淧lay and playfulness is at the heart of who we are as social beings,鈥� said Scott, referencing Dutch historian Johan Huizinga and his works that influenced the idea of the magic circle of play. 鈥淲hen we enter into this magic circle, we suspend the normal rules and it helps us to try out new ways of being. We need students to unlearn or suspend certain ideas and beliefs 鈥� question things that they鈥檙e not used to questioning. Games offer one way of loosening up assumptions about school: 鈥業t鈥檚 hard鈥� or 鈥業鈥檓 not a philosophy person鈥欌�︹��
Scott said that most children are philosophical, curious about big questions about the universe, and she was no exception when she was growing up in Arkansas and North Carolina. Her curiosity about the nature of reality didn鈥檛 abate as she entered college, exploring philosophy while majoring in religion at Philadelphia鈥檚 Swarthmore College 鈥� where she reveled in extended sessions of discussion and community 鈥� before earning her master鈥檚 and doctorate in philosophy at Loyola University Chicago, with plans to teach about the subject.
As a kid, she also loved board games 鈥� another passion that hasn鈥檛 abated. Scott said she was introduced to role-playing games through Dungeons & Dragons while in graduate school. She became an instant fan of the game, especially its interactive entanglements, and had something of an epiphany.
鈥淭his is what I want my classes to be like,鈥� she remembers thinking, drawing on her marathon undergraduate discussion sessions and RPG experiences. 鈥淲ith the Dungeon Master and players, I saw parallels between teachers and students. They鈥檙e co-creating the story within a set structure. The players have agency and it鈥檚 the Dungeon Master鈥檚 responsibility to give everyone a chance and to help create a good experience. I saw how fun and engaging that is. That鈥檚 the vibe I strive for as a teacher 鈥� we all want to be there; we all want to be engaged.鈥�
Scott brought that perspective to 91制片厂 in 2018, deploying her game-based teaching methods (she鈥檚 currently working on a philosophical RPG for ethics courses). She also led her department鈥檚 2020 inclusive pedagogy project, examining how faculty could rethink classroom instruction to increase inclusion among students of all identities, and helped to implement the department鈥檚 learning lab project, designed to create a more collaborative learning environment. Data from the learning labs displayed increased success among students who come from historically marginalized backgrounds.
Scott spoke glowingly about the autonomy and ability to be creative at 91制片厂, where she founded the Teaching With Games community of practice within 91制片厂鈥檚 Academy for Teaching Excellence. She sang the praises of the college鈥檚 Philosophy Department.
鈥淓verybody cares about teaching. Everyone is thoughtful, collegial and supportive. We have each other鈥檚 backs,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淚 found my professional identity here.鈥�
An identity worthy of national recognition, according to Scott鈥檚 Excellence in Philosophy Teaching Prize from the APA. She was self-effacing about the recent honor, although she said she鈥檚 proud of the professional validation it gave her and the spotlight it shines on philosophy educators, especially those at community colleges like 91制片厂.
鈥淚n our discipline, there can be an elitism against teaching. An award like this is important for highlighting the work that teachers do,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 proud of my community college status. The teaching experience of community college faculty is undervalued. We鈥檙e damn good at it.鈥�
Scott focuses her creativity on her teaching, although it鈥檚 not her only outlet. She grew up playing classical piano and is the frontwoman for Panda Riot, a shoegaze/dreampop band she formed with her boyfriend (now husband) Brian Cook in 2008. She describes Cook as the primary force behind the four-piece group, although she plays guitar, sings lead, and writes all of the lyrics and vocal melodies.
鈥淥ur aesthetic is destructive, ecstatic, explosive,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he feeling of tragic beauty 鈥� it鈥檚 beautiful because it鈥檚 fleeting and bittersweet.鈥�
Panda Riot has released a number of albums, the most recent being 2022鈥檚 Extra Cosmic. Scott said that it鈥檚 not always easy to balance her work in the band, teaching at 91制片厂 and being a parent to her and Cook鈥檚 two-year-old son. She said her roles as a performer and educator inform each other.
鈥淛ust being in front of people and doing something that was embarrassing and getting
over it,鈥� she reflected about the similarities. 鈥淚鈥檝e become comfortable letting mistakes
happen.鈥�
Whether it involves music or games, Scott said the act of play allows everyone to feel better about making errors. She brought it back to her teaching style, contrasting how students feel about getting something wrong on a quiz versus during a game in class.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e playing a game, you can be wrong and it allows for failure in a way that鈥檚 less demoralizing,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淚f your team loses a round, it鈥檚 like, 鈥楲et鈥檚 get the next one鈥�.鈥�