On the border between play and art: A collaborative self-study of 76 playful didactic designs in higher education

Abstract

Educators who work with playful approaches in teaching often use methods inspired by art-based learning. The aim of the study was, therefore, to investigate how pedagogics of art-based learning can contribute to the pedagogics of playful learning in a way that neither compromises essential values of art, nor the values of play. The study included two steps. First, we analyzed 70 didactic designs developed and tested in 2021 and 2022 in the in the Danish Playful Learning Project (PL). Second, we conducted a collaborative in-depth analysis of 6 additional playful learning designs, also developed and tested in the PL project. The study indicates that art-based skills are an important prerequisite in order to realize the potential of art-based learning as well as playful learning. However, a focus on art-based skills can lead to a more entrenched perspective that interferes with the focus on open-ended processes and experimentation that are found within playful learning.