Playful learning
'Gamification v. Game-based Learning v. Playful Learning' - some distinctions
'Student attainment, as measured by student “outcomes” and graduate employment after univeristy, is now fundamental to university rankings, which in turn influences student recruitment. To avoid being the “losers” in these games, both students and lecturers are put under an extreme amount of pressure to relentlessly focus on outcomes instead of processes. This in turn impacts on another key factor, student satisfaction, as measured by linear scores in the National Student Survey. Research has shown that the need to top the scoreboard pushes academics into providing entertainment and services to the “students as customers” instead of challenging them to think critically. My research in the field of global higher education has shown me how entrenched this global “game” has become. But my research on playful learning has also shown me a possible way out. (Morini, 2019).
Literature Review:
Vlachopoulos, D. & Makri, A. 'The effect of games and simulations on higher education: a systematic literature review'. International Journal of Eductional Technology in Higher Education (2017) 14: 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0062-1
Examples of Games:
Cheryl Reynolds (see bibliography) argues that her ‘Bourdieu Game’ helps overcome initial suspicion towards difficult and challenging ideas, making them more accessible for everybody, whether academic or not. Details of the game
SuccessPrints - Games for higher education (Board game to support transition)
Using a paper fortune teller for discussions
Feedback Sizzle by Iddo Oberski (2016) - part of the Educational Developers Cookbook
The The Reading Game aims to enhance student cognitive development by asking and answering questions as a means of clarifying learning materials. Readers are encouraged to become 'question-makers rather than question-takers'.
A cloze exercise to recognise/confront/discuss invisible bias. Lee, L. (2019) Edutopia.
'Copyright: Myth, Reality' - playing cards
'Copyright Dough' by Hannah Pyman
Sally Brown's 'Biscuit game' can be used for staff to consider the creation of assessment criteria.
Card game on data, privacy & identity
Resources:
Alison James' free book and supporting documentation on The Value of Play in Higher Education (2019-2022) https://engagingimagination.com/the-value-of-play-in-he-a-study-free-book/
'The Creative Academic' website and the Creative Academic Magazine
Educational Developers Cookbook - University of York, Canada
Book Review:
Niman, N. B. (2014). The Gamification of Higher Education. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. ISBN 978-1-137-33873-0. by Stephen Merry
Bibliography:
Barr, M. (2019) Graduate Skills and Game-Based Learning. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27786-4
Bird V. (2019) 'Book review for The Librarians’ Book on Teaching through Games and Play', The Journal of Play in Adulthood. 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.5920/jpa.635
Buckley, C. (2015) 'Conceptualising plagiarism: using Lego to construct students' understanding of authorship and citation'. Teaching in Higher Education, 20:3, 352-358, DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2015.1016418
DeKoven, B. (2009) 'Play and Game Communities'. In DeepFun.
James, A. (2020 ) engagingimagination play and creativity for complex learning.
Krug, K. (2011) 'Thinking Outside the Blocks: Lego Day in a Pedagogy of Play'. In Collected Essay on Learning and Teaching: Exploring. Shaping. Knowing, Vol. pp103 - 107. Download pdf
Morini, L. (2019) 'Universities: increasingly stressful environments taking psychological toll – here’s what needs to change'. The Conversation.
Reynolds, C. (2015) 'The impact of a gamebased approach to Bourdieu on learners training to teach in postcompulsory education at an English University'. In: Inspire Conference, 14 January 2015, University of Huddersfield. Available at: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/23228/
Rogerson R, Treadaway, C., Lorimer, H., Billington, J., Fyfe, H. (2013) 'Permission to Play: taking play seriously in adulthood’. AHRC Connected Communities. Swindon: AHRC.
Walsh A. (2019) 'Giving permission for adults to play', The Journal of Play in Adulthood. 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.5920/jpa.565
Walsh, A. ( 2018) The Librarians’ Book on Teaching through Games and Play. Innovative Libraries.
Whitton, N. (2018) 'Playful learning: tools, techniques, and tactics'. Research in Learning Technology, 26. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v26.2035