What is the LLP Playground?

A playground presents methods, materials, concepts or experiences based in practice and grounded in theory that can serve to inform, inspire or challenge practitioners and/or researchers. How a playground is based in practice, and how it is grounded in theory, can then be very individual, as long as these two things are given. There must be value in it for the reader, not only for the author.

📰 Published Examples

10 great classroom activities language teachers can do with games (in addition to helping students speak while playing!)

  • Ludic (3) (←These numbers come from the Playground Pass, explained below)
  • Language (5)
  • Pedagogy (4)
  • Practical application (5)
  • Details of teaching and/or learning (4)
  • Connection to relevant literature (5)

Leveling up: A teacher’s personal journey of bringing video games into a school and classroom

  • Ludic (3)
  • Language (2)
  • Pedagogy (2)
  • Practical application (2)
  • Details of teaching and/or learning (3)
  • Connection to relevant literature (2)

Co-Management: A Ludic Language Pedagogical approach

  • Ludic (3)
  • Language (4)
  • Pedagogy (4)
  • Practical application (4)
  • Details of teaching and/or learning (4)
  • Connection to relevant literature (5)

More published examples here.

💡 Other quick examples and ideas for inspiration

  • Game prototypes including design considerations and relevance for practice,
  • Annotated photos of a class including reflection from students and teacher,
  • Opinion or thought pieces,
  • Interviews with students, other teachers, researchers, game designers, etc.
  • A playful deep-dive into theory that connects with your own:
    • teaching experience,
    • experience as a learner.

🙅 NOT PLAYGROUNDS

(Submit these as WALKTHROUGHs instead!)

  • Hi-definition accounts of ludic language pedagogy including Background → Design → Playtest → Evaluation → Next steps of the intervention.
  • A lesson plan of a ludic language class that failed abysmally or succeeded magnificently and your reflection on why it failed/succeeded, drawing on your understanding of language teaching pedagogy.

Open-peer review (OPR) process for playground items

Submit stage

  1. Playground items are submitted via the submission Google Form.
  2. Please fill out the “Playground pass” section.
  3. The editors evaluate whether the submission fits LLP based on the same “Playground pass” rubric.
  4. If it fits, the call for reviewers is announced on Discord and Twitter, and possibly the newsletter.

Review stage

  1. There is a 2-week Open Peer Review period.
  2. Anyone can be a reviewer (on the Discord server, who has agreed with the OPR statements).
  3. Reviewers must also make a copy and complete the “Playground pass” rubric.
  • Peer reviewers can:
    • Praise,
    • Write their thoughts,
    • Ask for clarification,
    • Provide additional insights,
    • Ask for citations,
    • Give advice.
  • If someone reads the paper but does not comment, this is not considered peer-review.
  • Reviewers may give additional comments in the #playground Discord channel.

Post-review stage

  1. After the review, the author gets the chance to make revisions.
  2. The author decides the time they need.
  3. Once the edits have been made by the author(s), the editors will check to see if the playground is suitable for publication, taking into account the reviewers’ evaluations (see the “playground pass”).
    • If it fits, great! The final piece is published on the site with pages assigned in the current volume.
    • If it doesn’t fit, the author(s) will be asked to make additional edits before publishing (This may include another round of peer-review).

Authors must:

  • Address the comments in the paper and work with the reviewer to resolve them.

Authors can:

  • Ask reviewers for clarification on the LLP Discord.
  • Keep certain comments as footnotes, referencing the place where the comment was made (such as those comments that were particularly pertinent or helpful or positive, etc.).

Editors will:

  • Publish the document on the LLP website within 2 weeks of the author’s notification that it has been completed.

🎟 Playground pass

All submissions needs to reach at least 18 points in order to go out for open-peer review. Evaluations are done on the playground template.

  • Ludic
  • Language
  • Pedagogy
  • Practical application
  • Details of teaching and/or learning
  • Connects to other LLP literature