Abstract:

How can educators incorporate learning through play into teaching pedagogy? Before a child enters formal schooling, ludic learning occurs naturally and is responsible for much of the basic learning he or she acquires at an early age. Inquiry, exploration, and play, such as playing in the sandbox, help children learn cognitive concepts, as well as social and language skills. As children mature into adults, educators should mirror the concepts of ludic learning to take advantage of human aptitude to learn through play and experience. Instructional design for adults can be transformed through the use of these same ludic or game-based learning strategies. Experiences during play have the potential to enlighten our students and build intrinsic motivation, while developing self-confidence—all acquired by progressing through hard, but engaging problem solving.

Public schools and universities must embrace new teaching methodologies and immerse students in experiential learning focused on critical thinking and decision-making. The surplus of information made so readily available by new technologies, make it critically important for today’s student to possess skills in evaluating, synthesizing and constructing new information. Using games to help students “level-up”—the actual movement through activity-based progressions—is taking an education problem historically approached in a linear fashion and changing it to a nonlinear pattern of learning. Research indicates that when students have the opportunity to make choices about what they learn in a natural, non-linear pattern, the result is better understanding and retention of information.

Participants in this breakout session will explore and discuss important aspects of ludic learning such as peer collaboration, failing forward, and authentic assessment and feedback loops.

Keywords:

Instructional design, ludic learning, games-based pedagogy, learning through collaboration, failing forward, assessment and feedback loops, examples of good edu.