Play in Education and New Technologies

Play has become a key topic in neuroscience due to its ability to stimulate students' learning and cognitive development. Play and new technologies have enabled new discoveries in neuroscience thanks to imaging techniques. Both children and young adults are attracted to anything related to apps, devices, and video games, primarily because it generates excitement. Playing is a natural way for the brain to learn, and it is a process that begins and ends with the active participation of the child.

Etymology of Play

According to the Royal Spanish Academy Dictionary, play is “the action and effect of playing, a pastime, and recreation. A recreational activity subject to rules.” Play is not exclusive to humans; it originates in the animal kingdom as an important evolutionary innovation. Its main function is to provide entertainment and fun, although it can also contribute to fulfilling an educational role.

Play is a natural and engaging learning process, and its benefits are indisputable. For children, it represents a vital need for development. If we were to structure the components of a play activity, the following elements would be found:

• Pleasure is obtained
• Social aspects are developed
• A symbolic component
• Intellectual capacity is engaged
• Communicative, emotional, and motor skills are used
• A relationship with the surrounding world is established
• An approach to the inner world is enabled

To introduce play in teaching practice, one must understand its classifications for responsible use. According to Piaget, there are three types of play related to different developmental stages, and each contributes to the child’s biological, psychological, and social development.

Benefits of Play

Play represents a learning source from birth. Through play, one learns to understand oneself and others. Additionally, it helps practice strategies, simulate daily life situations, and ultimately boosts the construction and development of personality.

Play is essential for the cognitive, emotional, and social development of the individual. Experts state that play is fundamental for children's health because, through it, they strengthen their abilities, learn values, and develop skills (such as understanding rules, patience, empathy, conflict resolution, frustration management, etc.). It is also an ideal environment for expressing emotions and feelings.

Games, especially those played outdoors, have a profound influence on the development of the nervous system. For this to happen, different brain areas are involved in the process. During childhood, mainly through play, what is known as planned movement is acquired. Some key reasons why integrating play into teaching is essential include:

• Pleasure and satisfaction: The student experiments, explores, and accepts mistakes, which allows improvement while enjoying the process.
• Stimulates curiosity: Through curiosity, creative capacity increases.
• Stimulates self-confidence: Enhances self-esteem, perseverance in the face of challenges, and resilience.
• Allows emotional expression: Emotions are naturally expressed.
• Encourages the internalization of behavioral norms: Learning and respecting rules.

The Neurocognitive Process

Play is an inherent activity in humans and helps participants understand the world around them. Play allows:

• Escaping the limitations of reality
• Exploring the world independently
• Interacting with peers
• Functioning autonomously
• Through play, cognitive, psychomotor, and affective development occurs.

In the scientific framework, play promotes the construction of cognitive processes that form the basis for generating thoughts. Play captures the student’s attention, and their brain becomes motivated. In this sense, the choice of the game is crucial as it must provide suitable challenges to offer continuous, immediate feedback and foster progress as stages or obstacles are overcome to maintain interest.

What Does Play Contribute Cognitively?

• Stimulates reflective and representative thinking, helping to learn reasoning.
• Enhances memory and attention. Fosters de-centering of thought.
• Develops imagination and creativity.
• Boosts language development and abstract thinking.

When using play as an educational resource, the teacher’s role shifts to mediation, meaning they must facilitate all conditions that allow the game to unfold in the best possible way.

New Educational Methodologies

The world today is constantly evolving, enabling different professional fields to take new directions and focus on the goal of knowledge. For this reason, professionals in this field must specialize and master these new tools, thus providing optimized training to their students. Moreover, this will allow them to implement new techniques, making their work more dynamic and enjoyable for their followers.

TECH is currently the largest digital university in the world. This title has been achieved by designing and developing a broad educational portfolio offering programs for professionals across various fields. A clear example of this are the Professional Master’s Degree in Social and Occupational Psychopedagogy and Professional Master’s Degree International Cooperation for the Development of Peoples. Although both are excellent options for professionals in this field, there is no doubt that if you are looking to focus your intellectual efforts on innovation in the classroom, one of the best choices will be the Professional Master's Degree in Education Coaching.