GOOD SPORTS

In Brief

GOOD SPORTS

Ron Bishop, professor of communication in Drexel’s College of Arts & Sciences, and Sarah Napoli, assistant clinical professor of sport management in the LeBow College of Business, met last year at Pennoni’s Symposium networking session. Pennoni’s yearlong course series explores a chosen subject matter each year, bringing together students, faculty and visiting lecturers to examine a topic through an interdisciplinary lens and apply knowledge across disciplines. Last year, Dr. Katie Barak, the associate director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry, put out a request for faculty to pitch ideas for the 2023-24 theme of games. Bishop and Napoli attended the gathering and shared their ideas, pedagogical approaches and backgrounds.

Neither had co-taught a course across disciplines, but the faculty duo partnered up to teach a class called “The Games We Play.” Following a journey through the history and cultural significance of play, Napoli, who worked for the Philadelphia Phillies for 11 years, delved into the $19 billion youth sport industry and how that growth has standardized the experience of play. Ron, a one-time sportswriter who keeps sports gear in his car — just in case — got to revisit his 2009 book, When Play Was Play, where he explored whether unstructured play and all its benefits was disappearing as children become overscheduled. Co-teaching a class about play — the subject of engaging in activity for enjoyment, Bishop acknowledged, was the very sport he needed to re-energize his teaching. What was the experience like? We had Napoli ask Bishop and Bishop ask Napoli.

Sarah Napoli: Why did you decide to pitch ideas for Symposium courses?

Ron Bishop: I pitched ideas because frankly over the last few years, I've been looking for new challenges, chances to re-energize a bit. I've been at Drexel nearly 30 years — and have loved every second of my time in the classroom — but I thought it was time to try something new.

Sarah Napoli: Did you come at this class with a particular pedagogical approach?

Ron Bishop: I kind of cringe at the word "pedagogy" — I try to start and maintain a conversation among fellow contributors. Colleagues, if you like. Too often the classroom experience is top-down. I learn as much from my students as much as they (I hope) do from me.

Ron Bishop: Did you come at this class with a particular pedagogical approach?

Sarah Napoli: I'm a fan of the instructor being the facilitator of a class-wide discussion. I don't think that lecturing for an hour is the most effective teaching method. And of course, since the symposium theme is "Games," we decided to weave in some time for play!

Ron Bishop: How do you think students responded to the material?

Sarah Napoli: We were so impressed with the students right from the beginning of the class. Our discussions around assigned readings proved that they really understood the material and were interested in the subject matter.

Sarah Napoli: How has co-teaching across disciplines influenced or changed you as a professor?

Ron Bishop: As for change — I think some of Sarah's excellent prep and organizational skills have rubbed off a bit. It's also the most relaxed I've felt in class in a while (I tend to "geek out" about material in class. Maybe a little too enthusiastically for my own good — think Steve Kornacki from MSNBC). And it reminded me just how fortunate I am to do what I do for a living, to meet and talk with so many bright and talented people.

And it's not every day you end up making up your own games and playing them with your fellow students in the hall outside your class.

Ron Bishop: What were the biggest challenges to co-teaching?

Sarah Napoli: I wouldn't say this was a challenge, but since I'm so used to teaching solo, it was an adjustment to figure out who was responsible for what, and the administrative responsibilities that go along with leading a class.

Sarah Napoli: Any stories from team teaching that sum up the experience for you?

Ron Bishop: The laughter — when our students played the games they invented or reacted to their classmates doing improv (we played Scenes from a Hat), or when they tried to figure out how the game Sarah borrowed from her daughters was played. You always need a little laughter in a class.

Ron Bishop: How about you? Any fond memories?

Sarah Napoli: During Week 9 of the term, we split students into groups and asked them to create a game. After providing some time to plan their game, they introduced the concept to the rest of the class, and we took turns playing each group's game. At the end of this exercise, we asked the students how they enjoyed that experience, and one student said, "That was so rejuvenating!". Our undergraduate students have so much on their plates; sometimes it's nice to laugh and play with your classmates … and shouldn't it be enough to play, just for play's sake?

Ron Bishop: What would you say to students to encourage them to enroll in future Symposium courses?

Sarah Napoli: If you see a Symposium theme or class title that even remotely interests you, go for it! This will not be your run-of-the-mill, 80-minute lecture with a test at the end.

Child's Play

Not sure he’d be that into the Symposium course, Soham Patel, biomedical engineering ’24, was blown out of the water with Ron Bishop and Sarah Napoli’s “The Games We Play” course. The readings, guest lecturers and game time, he says, were so applicable to the real world.

“Unstructured play is of utmost importance to get kids to be creative and just have fun, especially at a young age. With technology, though, this has been drastically reduced, with many children just sitting around watching TV or YouTube.”

Soham adds, whether he has children, he now has a better sense of the problems that exist in the youth sports industry.

The biggest take-home message: “The most important thing an athlete can do is enjoy the sport you are playing and have fun. The rest of the experience is secondary to this.”