Community of Practice: Joy, Play, and Belonging in the Classroom

This Community of Practice explores what it means to build classrooms where students feel human, seen, and genuinely included. Discussion topics include intentional play in higher education (and why "just gamify it" isn't the answer), cultivating intellectual respect, honoring authenticity and intersectionality as part of how students show up and learn, and dignity-affirming classroom facilitation — including the real tension between grace and accountability. The group will also examine belonging and inclusion through a social model of disability, asking whose participation is enabled or disabled by classroom conditions, and for whom.

Together, participants will co-author a toolkit for Cortland instructors, which will be featured on the Center's website with full citation to contributors.

The group meets five times during the 2026–2027 academic year, with a $400 stipend for participation; in-person attendance is expected at all sessions (one grace absence with RSVP).