We’re glad you asked! Ludic means “playful,” and for us it’s an umbrella term for play-based and game-based learning.

If that were the case we’d happily call it game-based learning. But we are fed up with the narrative around GBL (a mostly research-centric topic). Being ludic is more than just throwing games at kids and expecting learning to happen. We’re all about teaching and respecting the role of the humans in the classroom. Our book and courses are deep dives into the “how,” “why,” and “what” of being a ludic teacher entails.

In the second chapter of our book we outline the “ways to play” which involve creating SPACE for students. This, we know from educational research is a great way to promote engagement, critical thinking, and happiness.

Let’s look at one reason which may not spring to mind instantly:

Games are simple representations of more complex systems. And in today’s world, students need to navigate a whole slew of complex systems in order to thrive. Indeed, in his Manifesto for the 21st Century, Zimmerman notes that in this century, we need to know how to play with multiple systems (see the quote below). Games let us play, test hypotheses, and learn in a safe space with others.

It is not enough to merely be a systems-literate person; to understand systems in an analytic sense. We also must learn to be playful in them. A playful system is a human system, a social system rife with contradictions and with possibility.

We have many more reasons (and not just “because kids like games!” or “games are engaging!”) in our book.