Spielpädagogik
The term “Spielpädagogik” owes its origins to German pedagogy from the seventies, when it was used to refer to the methodologies that referenced play as a privileged tool for educational contexts, from schools to families, and again, to lifelong learning in adult education and training. Examples are, play busses and outdoor education for children and teenagers; or cooperative games and serious learning in the form of company training.
Many of these experiences, above all those connected with the pairing of play/didactics – such as Gamification, Game-based Learning and Digital Game-based Learning – demonstrate that play contributes to the strengthening of group dynamics and cooperation, based on the assumption that when the motivation is stimulated, we learn better and work better together.
The SHARED SPACE of PLAY
In my play proposals, I bring together elements from Play Education and Narrative Pedagogy, by setting up a space for play with traditional toys and games from various regions of the world, arousing interest, as people become curious and are inclined to play. Stories, then, follow from playing, weaving together a shared narrative among participants. This leads to the creation of what I refer to as the SHARED SPACE of PLAY.
In fact, games and toys not only allow the specificity of diverse cultures to be emphasized, but also the human experience of play.
By identifying and attributing value to play as an universal, we discover the thread that binds the play experiences of children and adults the world over, and we can use this thread to appreciate the specificity of play and traditions in any given region that is different from our own.