- Play is older than civilisation and has numerous biological, developmental and evolutionary implications. Most animals play as well - Singer (2006) - play = learning - Experiential Learning Theory (Kolb 1984) - Experiencing, reflecting, thinking and acting as a learning cycle - Ludic space can open up possibilities of - intrinsic motivation, define themselves what to learn, how to deal with change and reinventing within the safety of the space - Definitions of play - Purposeless activity (Bekoff and Byers 1981) - Fundamentally different from earnest activity (Lorenz 1994) - Amphibolous (going in both directions) (Spariosu, 1989) - Vacation from Reality (Erikson, 1950) - Activity that a body is not obliged to do (Twain, 1988) - Intrinsically driven activity without a clear goal other than it's own activities (Brown, 1995) - Play often exists between two dialectic poles - irrational and rational, playful and serious, imaginary and real, arbitrary and rule bound. - Arousal Modulation Theories of Play (Berlyne 1960; Ellis, 1973; Hutt, 1981) - Epistemic and ludic modes of play. Epistemic mode is serious and focused followed by intense, attentive investigation. Ludic is more relaxed followed by a process to apply the knowledge gained. Epistemic is characterised by efficient, economical and goal specific behaviour, while ludic concentrates on means rather than ends. We need a harmonious integration of both modes. - Psychodynamic Theory of play (Erikson 1950, Freud 1965) - Play facilitates positive and negative emotions through engagement. Helps master and integrate body, spirit and mind in a non-threatening way. - Cognitive Developmental Theories of Play (Piaget 1962, Vygotsky 1966, 1997) - For Piaget play provides rich context for children to interact with their environment and create their own knowledge. For Vygotsky play helps children create their own [[Zone of Proximal Development]]. - Play is a place with it's own roles and it's almost like an own world. It specifies it's own laws of existence and is a self organised system. Such a world can be a safe space for a child in the form of play therapy (Moustakas 1997). - Most mammals have a clear identifiable signal that initiates social play (Fagen 1981). It can even cross species lines and animals often communicate their desire to create a play space where they can engage in play without fighting (Goodall 1995). - This study focuses on a ludic non competitive softball league. Purely free will and inclusive. They never even invited people to come. There was chaotic fun with everyone at different levels and unpredictability was the norm because on any day anything could happen. Nobody was denied participation. Even those who were late. Teams are different each time. Felt as though people were coming for the relationships. Mistakes and foolishness was celebrated so everyone felt safe. Being okay with being bad. We are always taught to work with our strengths but you can always enjoy something you're not good at. The league is not competitive but at the same time there is some amount of it so everyone takes it seriously. - Power of play is how what we do in the play world can lead to embodiment and actualisation in the real world as well. Members of the league reflected about how they learnt to temper their anger and competitiveness. Many others shared how the league helped them become more empathetic and understanding. For one or two members it allowed them to be their authentic selves and try to explore other activities that they weren't good at. Huizinga (1950) also notes how play puts to test courage, resilience and fairness. - Players spoke of gaining courage to fail, of controlling negative emotion and competitiveness, of developing empathy and personal authenticity. What was striking was that most often they attributed this learning not to any teacher, coach or other person but to the nature of the space created by the game itself, what we are calling the ludic learning space. - Elements that the paper notes is necessary for leaners to engage in the full learning cycle - - Hospitable and welcoming with respect for all - Safe and supportive but also challenging - Learners take charge of their own learning - Repetitive practice that develops expertise - Kolb (1984) suggests that individuals engaged in experiential learning are intrinsically motivated to create their own learning path. The ludic space contributes to this with no extrinsic evaluation and also by providing a safe environment with unlimited opportunity. - A truly educative experience does not differentiate between learning and fun (Dewey 1997). - Organisations often over emphasise control and accountability through excessive use of extrinsic rewards. Deep learning occurs if the space allows participants to self-organise and allow for their intrinsic interests and authenticity to come alive. ----- Kolb, Alice Y., and David A. Kolb. "Learning to play, playing to learn: A case study of a ludic learning space." _Journal of organizational change management_ 23.1 (2010): 26-50. - [Link](https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/45383909/Learning_to_play_playing_to_learn__A_cas20160505-32298-18uvdxc-libre.pdf?1462474484=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DLearning_to_play_playing_to_learn_A_case.pdf&Expires=1710486747&Signature=Zj9UlfWvSpt2oTfLK8YuWXG3tFokMYHikyRuQwOqw2RASUV81sLwrFvg1I8RSHIiJM5Ga75cVLm0oRKWE0qO6ePG7rIds9oNFP5ccaL6xCKuUV2c17ip9b6L-DnNPt6TmrzaCEfVQMCTDrQbSpEv1dtICjLbnOTbUMk~xPhe1TCMtzjez9l1DKljoylZO4Klj3PicPoaJGkEGX9aO3E8HIZZwfJGOIwa3aqAdTJLpZth7qIAOhJNfSci75EhM7opy69hjaN~XOHJZaXhzZIdaPkymLlf0VJ14ugZefMl98IyWRWptZkpoGBX4SRI19a1eMQh1txikZ-vIX9LecRI7w__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA)