ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the project design for the second playmaking project, Working on Wings to Fly, conducted in 2012, briefly reviewing the parameters of the project and detailing more fully the dynamics of the site and participants. The areas of analysis in this chapter focus on the effect of the playmaking process on the students’ emerging understanding of the societal nature of dynamics they face in their lives, the development of community among the class members, its importance to them and its effect on their performance in the class, and the sense of power and agency students reported as a result of participating in the playmaking process and performing their piece. Through exploring students’ complex understandings of obstacles and mentors (the topic of the piece), the connection of their personal stories to a broader social context and global perspective is considered, scaffolding an understanding of socioeconomic dynamics on their local experiences. The findings are discussed through the lenses of Constructivist Learning (CL) and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), to consider the effects of these theories of teaching and learning on the outcomes of the project.
