Hello there!
We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design
We're passionate about Play and provide online, in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to teams worldwide.
We’re also training across Ireland and the UK www.howmightwe.design/lego-serious-play-ireland
Introduction
Have you ever visited a museum and felt like you had to tiptoe around, afraid to touch anything? Ever felt like education was about memorising facts rather than genuinely exploring ideas? Ever thought play was something you left behind in childhood when, in reality, it should stay with you into adulthood? Well, you’re not alone.
Dr. Katrin Heimann joins us to explore play as an act of listening, care, and creative reconstruction. As a researcher and educator, Katrin challenges the sometimes rigid structures of academia and museums, advocating for spaces that foster agency, interaction, and playfulness. From unpacking the emotional layers of learning to reimagining institutions as places of joy and experimentation, Katrin chats about why play is personal and political.
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LEGO Alert!
Around the 42-minute mark, Katrin answers a question using LEGO.
Katrin who?
Katrin Heimann is trained in philosophy and cognitive neuroscience and has specialised in exploring the richness of humans' subjective experience using qualitative methods.
She is one of the leading experts in the interview and analysis technique of micro-phenomenology, with which she has investigated an extensive range of experiences, especially those related to art, creativity, play, and learning.
Currently, she holds the position of Assistant Professor at the Center for Educational Development at Aarhus University, where she researches and develops facilitation tools and resources for engaging and inclusive classrooms within academia.
Katrin’s Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has led her to understand the value of designing neuroinclusive learning environments, and she is working on the project Developing Teacher Education for the Neuroinclusive University.
Contact Details
Research
https://www.au.dk/en/katrinheimann@au.dk
How Playfulness Motivates: Putative Looping Effects of Autonomy and Surprise Revealed by Micro-Phenomenological Investigations
Developing Teacher Education for the Neuroinclusive University
https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/projects/developing-teacher-education-for-the-neuroinclusive-university
Book
Practicing Embodied Thinking in Research and Learninghttps://www.routledge.com/Practicing-Embodied-Thinking-in-Research-and-Learning/Schoeller-Thorgeirsdottir-Walkerden/p/book/9781032498720?srsltid=AfmBOoqkYjiEmlKoBDH8tQwPry_WE5PV6QiVJFPpTeUxqODJg6QH1XaJ
Additional Resources
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Courage-Teach-Exploring-Landscape-Anniversary/dp/0787996866
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde
https://www.guernicamag.com/sara-ahmed-the-personal-is-institutional/
(0:00) - Introduction and Welcome
(2:22) - Katherine’s Childhood and Early Play Experiences
(6:58) - Early Career Reflections and Advice to Younger Self
(9:50) - Balancing Seriousness and Playfulness in Work
(12:38) - Defining Adult Playfulness and Its Role in Engagement
(18:45) - The Interplay Between Humans and Non-Humans in Play
(29:38) - Research Study: “Ducks in a Box” - Exploring Playful vs. Non-Playful Conditions
(39:02) - The Playful Academic: Introducing a Treasure Box for Researchers
(42:14) - Lego Build 1: What Inspires Katherine About Her Work?
(46:59) - How Her Work Helps People Think and Feel Differently
(48:35) - Final Reflections: Play as the Best Way of Being