Playful Learning

Educational games in various subjects, promoting problem solving and critical thinking

Overview

Playful Learning is a free online resource built “by teachers, for teachers” to discover and use games for learning. Teachers can search for what they need by filtering for subject matter, topic, time, age appropriateness, etc. During the search, teachers can learn about games and their potential applications through descriptions, reviews, and class implementations that are uploaded and curated by educators who have already used the game. Teachers are encouraged to share their experiences and lessons to inspire other educators.

Playful Learning is a free resource for anyone who wishes to use it.

Learning Games Network is a non-profit that was spun out of the MIT Education Arcade and the Games+Learning+Society program at University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2008. Grounded in over a decade of game-based learning research, Playful Learning's mission is to support teachers by providing resources and helping them learn how to effectively integrate games into their teaching. The core tenants of their findings are focused around improving student engagement and the overall learning experience in and out of the classroom. These include the importance of learning through failure, empowering student’s identity, and promoting experimentation, especially in regards to problem solving.

The Learning Games Network team launched Playful Learning in 2013, and they are based in Boston, MA, and Madison, Wisconsin. The Playful Learning product is currently in beta in at least three school sites.

In addition to their partners (which include Thinkfinity, Google Teachers, EdModo, GameDesk and Engrade), Playful Learning receives support from NewSchools Venture Fund. The product also received a $500K grant from the Gates Foundation to conduct workshops and outreach across the country from 2013 to 2015.

Playful Learning Overview

Rhode Island Tech for Schools Summit (October 2013)