Playful Participatory Research: An emerging methodology for developing a pedagogy of play

The Pedagogy of Play project aspires to change the way that educators, family members, and policy makers think about play and learning through play, and to offer tools and resources for those wishing to systemically bring more playful learning to schools. This endeavor requires both a solid understanding of what is meant by play, playful, and playful learning, and an exploration of the structures, strategies, and systems that encourage (and sustain) the integration of ideas around play into the school experience. To these ends, the Pedagogy of Play research initiative is centered around four core research questions:
 

 

We address these questions through a new research model called playful participatory research, a collaboration among Project Zero (PZ), the International School of Billund (ISB), and the LEGO Foundation. This paper serves to describe this methodology and share some of the ideas that have emerged from the first year of the ISB-PZ research partnership.