The playful learning approach that we apply in PLACES is based on Dewey (1997), Lave & Wenger (1991) and Lenon (2015). According to Dewey, learning activities with subject matter must be based on real life problems, in real life settings, where learners can take action to explore. Those actions are, following Lave & Wenger, always done in communities of others and in communities of learning practices.
The playful approach to learning will be realised through design thinking. Design thinking is about framing an issue or problem by” opening it up”: asking lots of questions, challenging, and maybe reframing it to find out what the real or most interesting problem is. Different methods and tools such as visualisation and prototyping are then used to research, test and iterate concepts and solutions and to communicate possible solutions.
A design thinking process is a highly tangible and pragmatic approach to innovation, where insights and results are developed, documented, and communicated in a way that is easily understood and shared inside a design team and outside.
Storytelling is directly addressed at an audience and without using a written script. With the use of dramaturgical, bodily and verbal tools, the recipients/listeners are guided towards creating images in their minds, their limbic systems are activated, and emotions arise.
The idea of bringing the health promoting school approach into PLACES, stems from the fact, that the underlying values of the HPS, and the way that this approach understands the school as an inclusive setting for living, learning, and playing is a kind of precondition for the other three concepts to function in an optimal way.
What is also relevant in relation to the introduction of the HPS approach into PLACES, is the way that health and wellbeing of the child, is understood in a holistic way covering the physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Bringing in the mental and social well-being are important factors for playful, engaging, participatory and empowering learning to flourish.
