ABSTRACT
Speaking in the first century AD, the Roman author Horace argued that the purpose of literature is ‘to delight and to instruct’ (Pinker 2004). While this demonstrates that there has long been a link between learning and enjoyment, in archaeology at the early 21st century this link is being considered with renewed interest. A recognition that normal classroom teaching can alienate students from the teacher – prompting them to see themselves ‘as fellow captives under the never-distant teacher’s eye’ (McClure 1990: 67) – has brought about a new concern with creating alternative classroom environments that encourage students not only to contribute and collaborate, but also to enjoy themselves. Recently, the idea that learning can combine serious intent with fun content has become a mainstay of the active learning movement. Active learning – in essence any instructional strategy opposed to the passive consumption of lecture material – incorporates all four modes of learning behavior (auditory, visual, kinaesthetic, and tactile) to enhance the ways in which students learn. It can include listening practices which help the students to absorb what they hear, short writing exercises in which students react to lecture material, and complex group exercises in which students apply course material to ‘real life’ situations and problems (Paulson and Faust 1998: 3). When students actively participate in teaching and learning, they are more likely to retain information, are better equipped to process new information and solve new problems (Jenkins 1992; McKeachie 1999), and are more likely to become emotionally engaged with the material (Coco et al 2001: 501). Moreover, and perhaps most importantly, they are more likely to enjoy themselves. Play is a powerful motivational tool. It is nonthreatening and memorable, and in the process of interacting with the teacher and each other, play can facilitate students’ intellectual engagement with theoretical material that is otherwise difficult to access:
Besides setting our students serious work in collaborative ways, we must challenge them to have fun in class, to entertain one another, to make each other laugh – in short to play. Play provides the student with immediate reasons to be involved and to spend genuine effort on the class’s endeavours; play is a source of motivation that does not depend on the student’s farsighted understanding … if students and teachers can make games their work, they open the door to learning at the easiest possible place (McClure 1990: 67–68).
