Play@Heart

How technology and playfulness can enhance teaching in school (K9).

Status: In progress

Period: 01/august/2023 → 31/May/2024

Subject words: Tinkering, Engineering, Computer science, Playfullnes, Playful Learning, LEGO, Materiality, Situated knowledge, Public school

Research Question: Which ways of understanding and using technology in the classroom emerges, when a playful approach to teaching and learning is applied

About Play@Heart

Play@Heart is a school development project with a focus on playful approaches to technology. We investigate the interaction between children’s play with digital technologies and their development and learning. Play@Heart is part of the Playful Learning Program . The program was launched in 2018 with a vision to strengthen children’s creative, experimental and playful approach to the world and their lifelong desire to learn. The vision forms the basis for long-term and ambitious cooperation between the Danish University Colleges supported by the LEGO Foundation. The common ambition is to create educational development based on the qualities of play and playful approaches.

Innovative Learning Environments

We establish innovative and non-traditional learning environments in collaboration with the participating schools, also called PlaySpaces. Here, children, teachers and educational staff can play, experiment, learn and be creative with technology. There are technological remedies available that allow you to use your hands, take things apart and create something new.

Partnerships as an approach

The heart of the project is partnerships between the participants. The outcome of the project is based on experiences contributed by the 12 participating schools. The experiences from their in-depth experiments will be shared and disseminated across the country’s municipalities and brought into play as inspiration for technology-enhanced teaching. The project uses co-teaching as a way to develop and share experiences on both teaching and school developmental levels.