At the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, innovations are studied that strive to improve education. Leapfrogging, a rapid nonlinear progress is suggested as needed to change the current trajectory. Such learning incorporates experimentation, iteration, helping make meaning of what students are learning.
With the purpose of developing skills to thrive in the 21st century,this article describes a global catalog of education innovations, 3000, include two-thirds that involve playful learning.
[gview file=”https://publicservicesalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/How-playful-learning-can-help-leapfrog-progress-in-education.pdf”]To leapfrog in education, we must open ourselves to new ways of teaching and learning that may differ from those found in a traditional classroom setting. Playful teaching and learning experiences that are student-centered will foster studentsʼ natural inquisitiveness and expose them to important topics that will shape their lives and careers.
In Ghana, Devio Arts Centre creates an after-school learning through play experience for children and adolescents. The center aims to develop the minds and talents of the students by integrating fun, engaging experiences and learning opportunities. Students hone their digital literacy skills by designing art via computer programs as well as explore traditional art mediums such as clay.
In reviewing our catalog of nearly 3,000 innovations, we found that playful learning innovations are implemented all over the world in varying contexts. They are happening in low- and high-income countries, in and out of the classroom, and with and without the use of technology. This brief provides a snapshot of the innovations taking place and sheds light on trends, as well as gaps, in the innovation space. However, to truly accelerate progress in education and to prepare students for the 21st century, we must look beyond innovation itself, and look to playful learning approaches that are student-centered and proven to work.