Play Pedagogy and Active Community

Semester 1-2 · 56003 · Master 2nd level EDENSPACES - Designing Educational Landscapes: A Dialogue Between Pedagogy, Architecture, Design and Nature" · 3CP · IT

The course provides an introduction to play, understood both as a human universal and as an expression of creativity and cultural diversity.
It is grounded in an approach that prioritizes anthropological, pedagogical, and semiotic perspectives, while also seeking to foster broader interdisciplinary dialogue. By examining, for instance, the close relationship between the pedagogy of play, active learning, and participation, the course extends its scope from childhood to adulthood.
Particular emphasis is placed on the ludic dimension, its spatial metaphors (such as play space, play frame, the magic circle, the playful city, etc.), and the use of playful methodologies within participatory design processes.

Lecturers: Francesca Berti

Teaching Hours: 18
Lab Hours: 0
Mandatory Attendance: See master's regulations.

Course Topics
Topics covered include: - An introduction to play studies - Core concepts in the pedagogy of play and active learning - An introduction to capacity building and participatory design

Teaching format
The course features an introductory theoretical component, alternated with reflective moments focused on participants’ own play biographies and on any professional experiences related to play and the ludic dimension. The programme combines in-person activities (Winter, Summer, and Autumn Schools) with online sessions. Priority will be given to the co-construction of a shared learning process, as well as to the development of in-depth explorations shaped by students’ interests, as they emerge during the Schools and through individual meetings with the instructor. Expected learning outcomes: - Critically interpreting spaces through the lens of play, active learning, and participation. - Integrating play, the pedagogy of play, and participation into the playful creation of educational environments. - Applying playful strategies in participatory playful processes.

Educational objectives
- Know theoretical foundations of play studies - Know and reflect on the principles of the play-based education and active learning - Know and analyze playful approaches and strategies for participatory playful processes

Assessment
Written exam: Critical reflection on the course and analysis of a case study on the design of a play space and/or a participatory playful process.

Evaluation criteria
- Clarity and organisation of the written assignment - Accuracy and rigor of scientific argumentation - Use of additional scholarly literature to deepen the subject - Active participation in the course

Required readings

Antonacci, F. (2014). L’immaginazione ludica, un sapere incarnato nella materia. In: Coletta, Claudio/Colombo, Sara/Magaudda, Paolo/Mattozzi, Alvise/Parolin, Laura/Rampino, Lucia (Ed.): A Matter of Design: Making Society through Science and Technology. Proceedings of the 5th STS Italia Conference. Milano: STS Italia publishing, 281–294. Online: https://www.boa.unimib.it/handle/10281/80126

Berti, F. (2023b): Il filo che lega il gioco nel mondo. Didattica ludica, narrazione e incontro interculturale. Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht 28: 1, 241–256. Online: https://zif.tujournals.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/article/id/3612/

Berti, F. (2022): Pedagogia del gioco: il gioco inclusivo. Riflessioni sulla scuola come spazio ludico. In H. Demo, S. Cappello & V. Macchia (Eds.): Didattica e inclusione scolastica - Inklusion im Bildungsbereich. Emergenze educative - Neue Horizonte. Centro di competenza per l’inclusione scolastica, 09.2021. Bolzano: Bu,press, 53-71. Online: https://pro.unibz.it/library/bupress/publications/fulltext/9788860461896_04.pdf

Berti, F. Consalvo, G. & Seitz, S. (2025). Tra gioco e apprendimento: la percezione degli insegnanti sul benessere dei bambini a scuola. Encyclopaideia – Journal of Phenomenology and Education. Vol. 29 n.71 (2025), 59-75. Online: https://encp.unibo.it/article/download/21094/19558?inline=1

Berti F. & Seitz S. (2025). The primary school as a playful space. Theories and practices in an international perspective. Bolzano: Bu,press. Online: https://bupress.unibz.it/en/produkt/the-primary-school-as-a-playful-space/

Caillois, R. (1958/2000). I giochi e gli uomini. La maschera e la vertigine. Milano: Bompiani.

Ferri, G., Thibault, M. & Veenkamp, J. (2020). Cocreation and participation for designing sustainable playable cities. In Leorke D. & Owens M. (eds) Games and Play in the Creative, Smart and Ecological City. London: Routledge. Online: https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/123874/Co-creation_and_participation_2020.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Huizinga, J. (1944/1973). Homo Ludens. Il gioco come elemento della cultura. Torino: Einaudi.

Santangelo, F.M., Romano, A., Muscarà, M. (2025). The educational role of space in the learning and development process: a scoping review. Italian Journal of Health Education, Sports and Inclusive Didactics, 9(3). Online: ¿https://doi.org/10.32043/gsd.v9i3.1590

Staccioli, G. (2008). Il gioco e il giocare. Elementi di didattica ludica. Roma: Carocci Editore.

Thibault, M. (2020). Ludosemiotica. Il gioco tra segni, testi, pratiche e discorsi. Torino: Aracne.

Further information
An introducing text: Bateson, G. (1996). Questo è un gioco. Perché non si può mai dire a qualcuno “gioca!”. Milano: Raffaele Cortina Editore.

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Sustainable Development Goals
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals.

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