Experiencing Playful Learning in Theory and Practice with Students in Higher Education

This paper argues that integrating action-oriented teaching and playful learning into class-rooms is beneficial not just for younger students, but also at the tertiary level, due to the genuine link between people and play. However, to integrate games into university courses and help students develop an understanding of playful learning, university instructors must both understand and highlight the many elements that make games complex. In addition, the methodology of playful learning cannot only be presented to university students theoretically; it requires continuous action-oriented testing and development in addition to the theoretical foundations. Even in university classrooms, students have to experience play themselves and get a chance to experiment and develop their own ideas. Only in this way can they internalize the effects of the methodology in the long term. Thus, instructors should use action-oriented teaching, which grows from the genuine relationship between people and play. This article presents a learning course that introduces and discusses the concept, experiences, and effects of instructional games in higher education. The course was designed for students who aspire to become elementary school teachers and would like to expand their instructional and methodological repertoire. In the course, knowledge is built by exploring theoretical principles, playing or developing instructional games, and reflecting on individual learning and teaching experiences. The central educational objective is for students to understand and experience that play is not just an enjoyable leisure activity, but also a potentially effective teaching method that can be used in the elementary school classroom for subject-specific learning. In this paper, the term “game” refers exclusively to analog educational games that are intentionally designed for instructional use within formal education settings. These games can be implemented at various educational levels, from elementary school through higher education. Unless otherwise specified, all games discussed are non-digital and explicitly grounded in pedagogical objectives.