Higher Education is subject to increasingly stressful and demanding workloads and expectations in a hypercompetitive and performance-based system.
Higher Education is subject to increasingly stressful and demanding workloads and expectations in a hypercompetitive and performance-based system.
This, alongside various other environmental stressors, may arguably lead to a reduction in creativity whilst promoting stress, mental ill-health, poor time management and performance. This holds true for both students and educators.
Playful learning is increasingly recognized as both a fundamental part of the human experience and a paradigm to improve pedagogical practice. With our club we aim to co‑create and promote a culture that can foster play within the University by creating capacity for awareness, uptake, and exposure of play and playful learning. We do this through for example:
👍 ONLINE COMMUNITY
👍 CLUB MEETINGS
👍 GAMES LIBRARY
👍 RESEARCH
👍 COLLABORATIONS
👍 CONSULTANCY
We believe that play is a FUNDAMENTAL part of the human experience and can significantly contribute to the development of:
(1) Physical and mental resilience
(2) Social intelligence
(3) Cognitive flexibility and intellect
By the creation of PLAYFUL UNIVERSITIES we can address:
Fear of failing → play supports us to embrace failure
Avoidance of risk → play encourages risk
Performativity and goal → play is not goal orientated
Reference
Koeners, M. P., & Francis, J. (2020). The physiology of play: potential relevance for higher education. International Journal of Play, pp. 1-17.
PLAYFUL LAB