Academic Content as a Toy: A Pilot Case Study on Play as Studyation in Higher Education

Education as Framed Sense-Making A Design Based Research contribution to the theory and practice of play in higher education

“…Inspired by Thomas Reeves (2006), our hybrid-agenda of both theoretical and empirical enquiry went through phases of domain-specific study, laboratory work, intervention in the field, and reflection. In the domain phase, we learned how a fact-like quality associated with academic content can be substituted with a more toy-like experience when playful approaches are employed in a teacher training course (Møller, 2020). Findings from Møller's study show that this change in significance derives from the different -yet educationally valuable -frame of experience that is engendered through play.…”

“…When students and teachers engage in processes of sense-making, a frame of meaning is constructed that guides their activity and organizes the educational experience. Møller (2020) showed how the attitude or meaning associated with academic content shifts during play: the meaning or significance of the content changes from more fact-like towards more toy-like. To further this point, Goffman's concept of framing (Goffman, 1974) helps us connect play and education as corresponding concepts within frames of sensemaking.…”