All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Well, we do know how Lego bricks are able to ensure the tickling of one’s imagination, and it is one toy that is able to be used over and over again without a level of boredom setting in. Of course, Lego has evolved over the years to include more complex bits and pieces, but the spirit of the Lego brick lives on, being able to let the wildest imaginations run free and create some really fantastic looking compositions. In fact, the art of Lego is fast turning into a science, with Cambridge University lining up to have a Lego professor of play appear in lecture halls soon.
The very first Lego professor of play, development and learning at Cambridge University is a vacancy that needs to be filled, and applications for the position has stopped as of January 20th, which was last Friday -- after being first announced two years back. It remains to be seen who has been selected to fill up this position. From what The Guardian has reported, the successful candidate will be able to benefit from all the perks of being a professor at Cambridge University. This will include an average salary of £83,981, which is more than enough to lead a comfortable life in the vibrant city of London. The Lego professor of play will also head the newest Centre for Research on Play in Education.
According to Professor Anna Vignoles, who is the interim director of Pedal and a member of Cambridge University's faculty of education, playing has a role in education, and this role is "relatively under-researched." The new Centre for Research on Play in Education will then be used to research on the importance of play, as well as how play is able to provide a performance boost in the lives of students.
The Lego Foundation happens to own a quarter of the Lego business, and they will not play a role on who will be appointed into the position. This particular foundation has a noble promise that it intends to fulfill no matter the situation: to make a £4m endowment to Cambridge University, with £2.5m being put aside for the professorship, while another £1.5m will be used as seen fit for the Pedal center.
Someone who is trained in the field of educational psychology might be the best candidate, as this will enable centre to improve its research capabilities where play in education is concerned.
If you think that this particular position is rather weird in nature, 2014 had another rather unconventional position in Cambridge University that needed to be filled. The higher center of learning was looking for a doctor of chocolate in order to study the substance that the world all over loves. Well, we do hope that the right person that takes up this position will be able to make significant progress in this under researched field of study, and it would be interesting to see how play will change the way education functions in the future.
