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Title: Freedom to Play

Freedom to Play

A Ludic Language Pedagogy Primer

by Jonathan deHaan (Author) James York (Author)
©2025 Textbook XXXII, 600 Pages
Education
Series: Ludic Scholarship, Volume 1

Summary

This book empowers language and literacy teachers and researchers by framing teaching as the use of S.P.A.C.E. within constraints to create "playgrounds" where everyone can engage. It enhances readers’ ludic, language, and pedagogical literacies, encouraging them to play, learn, apply, and seek more. Drawing from decades of successful teaching and research, the book balances theory, research, and practice while critiquing gamification and game-based learning—advocating instead for genuine ludic approaches. It includes two rigorous courses to help readers design lesson plans and evaluate their teaching. Playful elements such as memes, jokes, anecdotes, and reflections on both successes and failures make the book engaging and relatable. With a humanistic approach that prioritizes teachers and students over technology, the book is also inclusive, offering ludic language pedagogy examples for diverse contexts. Additionally, it bridges the research-practice divide and integrates support from a dedicated community.
"From interactive strategies to playful techniques, this book is your passport to a rich adventure of literacy teaching. Whether you are a teacher or researcher, prepare to be inspired and entertained as you discover the intersection of play and games, literacy and language education. With tons of practical details, this is a perfect guide for teachers to find SPACE for their students to play!"
—Matthew Farber, Associate Professor, University of Northern Colorado; author, Gaming SEL.
"Freedom to Play provides an engaging – and intrinsically playful – practical guide for language educators (and teachers more generally) looking to create more gratifying experiences in their classrooms. Underpinned by personal reflection and theory, this guide provides an accessible and convincing introduction to the value of playful learning."
—Nicola Whitton, Professor of Digital Learning and Play, Northumbria University, UK

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • About the author
  • About the book
  • This eBook can be cited
  • Contents
  • List of Figures
  • List of Tables
  • List of Interstitials
  • Acknowledgments
  • 1. An invitation to play
  • Dear Reader,
  • To teachers
  • To researchers and other folks in the audience
  • On the “Goldilocks tone”
  • Interstitial notes
  • How we’ll play together in this book
  • Constraints → Ways to play (SPACE) → Building playgrounds
  • Chapter 2: Finding the freedom to play in educational constraints
  • Chapter 3: What is ludic language pedagogy?
  • A quick note about Chapters 4, 5, and 6
  • Chapter 4: Level up your ludic literacy
  • Chapter 5: Level up your language literacy
  • Chapter 6: Level up your pedagogy literacy
  • Chapter 7: Make your ludic language pedagogy
  • Chapter 8: Assess and share your ludic language pedagogy
  • Author introductions
  • 👋 Hi! I’m James. I’m a teacher.
  • 👋 Hi! I’m James. I’m also a researcher.
  • 🙋 Hi, I’m Jonathan. I’m a teacher.
  • 🙋 Hi, I’m Jonathan. I’m also a researcher.
  • 2. Constraints and play in education
  • 🤔 Why play?
  • 🪢 STEP 1: Know your constraints
  • 🏭 Schools as factories
  • 🧪 The tyranny of testing
  • 🏅 The epitome of the factory model
  • 🖥򯸏 Datafication
  • 💮 Grades
  • 🎰 Gamification
  • 👩‍ 🎓 Learnification of education
  • 🤖 Technology replacing teachers?
  • ⏸ Pause: Can we REALLY play in schools?
  • ➡ From factories to playgrounds
  • 🗂 From grades to portfolios
  • 🥅 From single to many goals
  • ⚖ From “all work no play” to a healthy work-play balance
  • 🤔 But what about cram schools?
  • 🎁 Wrap up
  • 🤸‍ STEP 2: Understand the “ways to play”
  • ☺ Play is gratifying
  • 📐 Contemporary literacy education angle
  • 📐 Playful education angle
  • 📐 Progressive pedagogy angle
  • 🦌 Rewilding the classroom
  • 📏 We need SPACE to play!
  • 🏗 STEP 3: Build your playground(s)
  • 🅿 Pedagogy is play
  • 🧑‍ 🎓 STEP 4: Let students play
  • Short examples of how we have created freedom to play
  • 😲 Ludic students
  • 🔁 STEP 5: Share your playgrounds
  • Part 1: Focus on your playground
  • Part 2: Share and connect your playground to other playgrounds
  • 3. What is ludic language pedagogy?
  • The ludic
  • Gaming literacy as a pedagogical imperative
  • Ludic: The terminology
  • Ludic as a pedagogical framing device
  • Ludic in objects and you
  • The language
  • Language is play
  • The pedagogy
  • Pedagogy is play
  • The dangers of “ludic-like” approaches to teaching
  • Diversify more → Be more inclusive → Matter more
  • Ludic
  • Literacy and language
  • Pedagogy
  • Wrapping up
  • 👽 Want to know more?
  • 4. Level up your ludic literacy
  • Introduction
  • 1. Ludic objects
  • 2. Ludic in you!
  • Ludic as playing within constraints
  • Wrap-up
  • Section 1: Play
  • Type A: Ludic in you—Being playful
  • Type B: Ludic objects—Playful things
  • Section 2: Learn about
  • Questions to level up your ludic literacy—Introduction
  • Questions to level up your ludic literacy
  • Would you like to learn more? (Some recommended reading)
  • Section 3: Apply what you’ve learned
  • Application Step 1: Understand the known
  • Application Step 2: Understand the new
  • Section 4: Yeet
  • Roleplays
  • Identity play
  • Outdoor play
  • Board games and card games
  • Word games
  • Drama
  • Improvise and imagine
  • Storytelling
  • Digital games
  • Debate
  • Make things together
  • 5. Level up your language literacy
  • Introduction
  • Section 1: Play with some language and literacy
  • Step 1: Focus on the words in the rules of the game
  • Step 2: Focus on the words while playing the game
  • Step 3: Focus on words in the world about the game
  • So what? Who cares?
  • Section 2: Learn more about language and literacy
  • 1: Games are language
  • 2: Literacy is more than reading and writing
  • 3: Literacy is more than vocabulary
  • 4: Literacy is genre
  • 5: Literacy is social and cultural
  • 6: Literacy is multimodal
  • 7: Literacy is participation
  • 8: Literacy is everything; everything is a literacy
  • 9: The pedagogy of multiliteracies
  • Would you like to learn more? (Some recommended reading)
  • Section 3: Apply what you’ve learned
  • Application Step 1: Explore words and the world by learning and teaching
  • Application Step 2: How do you teach language and literacy?
  • Section 4: Yeet
  • 6. Level up your pedagogy literacy
  • Introduction
  • Pedagogy is a literacy
  • Section 1: Play with some pedagogy
  • Step 1: A word game
  • Step 2: A different word game
  • Step 3: Yet another word game
  • Section 2: Learn more about Pedagogy
  • 1: SPACE for pedagogy
  • 2: Methods
  • 3: Materials
  • 4: Mediation
  • Would you like to learn more? (Some recommended reading)
  • Section 3: Apply what you’ve learned
  • 1: Get your LLP kitchen in order
  • 2: Are you missing any ingredients?
  • 3: Express your LLP kitchen
  • 4: Sequence some delicious MMM into an idea
  • Section 4: Yeet
  • More methods
  • More materials
  • More mediation
  • 7. Making your ludic language pedagogy
  • Short introduction
  • STEP 1: What do you teach?
  • STEP 2: What are your constraints?
  • STEP 3: Who are your students?
  • Overview of the above
  • STEP 4: How will you teach?
  • Build your playground
  • Lesson template (for the REALLY stuck)
  • 8 Assess and share your ludic language pedagogy
  • Introduction
  • Section 1: Assessing your ludic language pedagogy
  • Step 1: “What should I research?”
  • Step 2: “How do I assess my ludic language pedagogy?”
  • Step 3: “Where do I stick these thermometers?”
  • Step 4: Research templates (combine your LLP lesson plan with some thermometers)
  • Step 5: A few research tips
  • Would you like to learn more? (Some recommended reading)
  • Section 2: Sharing your ludic language pedagogy
  • 1: What to share?
  • 2: Where to share?
  • 3: How to share in the Ludic Language Pedagogy Journal?
  • References
  • Index

List of Tables

Chapter 2

Table 2.1. A pocketable version of the steps to finding your freedom to play

Table 2.2. Some differences between rigid and ludic teaching methods

Table 2.3. Comparison of playgrounds and factories

Table 2.4. Common classroom terminology and their gamified version

Table 2.5. Going from a “school as factory” model to “school as playground” model

Table 2.6. Core tenets of three different approaches to teaching

Table 2.7. Comparison of player freedom in play and in games

Table 2.8. Examples of creating playgrounds within certain constraints

Table 2.9. Conceptualizing classrooms as games and playgrounds

Table 2.10. Specific examples of how we have created freedom to play

Table 2.11. Playing within the constraints of academic research

Table 2.12. The various roles that students have taken on in our classrooms

Table 2.13. Finding the freedom to play within the constraints of research

Table 2.14. Our literacy teaching remix of Zimmerman’s Ludic Century Manifesto

Chapter 3

Table 3.1. Overview of the following 3 chapters

Table 3.2. Examples of ludic, language, and pedagogical elements

Table 3.3. Example of being inclusive with ludic object choice

Table 3.4. Ludic objects and accessibility considerations

Table 3.5. Potential for deep play with ludic objects in a safe space

Table 3.6. Get to know each other’s literacies

Table 3.7. On the metafunctions of language

Chapter 4

Table 4.1. Definitions of ludic objects and the ludic in you

Table 4.2. Ludic objects, or, “things that invite us to play”

Table 4.3. The intersection of ludic in objects and ludic in you

Table 4.4. How a teacher can use ludic objects or be playful

Table 4.5. A non-exhaustive list of ludic objects and practices

Table 4.6. Kindness cards for you to use

Table 4.7. Sarcasm BINGO cards

Table 4.8. Role play role cards

Table 4.9. LLP Bucks!

Table 4.10. James’s answers to ludic questions for his task-based gaming curriculum

Table 4.11. A pocketable version of questions to ask when choosing a ludic object

Table 4.12. A space for you to transcribe your play sessions

Table 4.13. A space for you to brainstorm ludic objects

Table 4.14. Test your ludic knowledge

Table 4.15. A brainstorming scratchpad for you

Table 4.16. Our ludic object recommendations

Table 4.17. A table for you to write down your ideas

Table 4.18. Learn more about your ludic objects

Table 4.19. An example of P.L.A.Y.ing with ludic objects and the ludic in you

Table 4.20. Roleplays we have used in our teaching

Table 4.21. Identity play ideas we have used in our teaching

Table 4.22. Outdoor play we have used in our teaching

Table 4.23. Board and card games we have used in our teaching

Table 4.24. Word games we have used in our teaching

Table 4.25. Drama ideas we have used in our teaching

Table 4.26. Improvisation games we have used in our teaching

Table 4.27. Storytelling ideas we have used in our teaching

Table 4.28. Digital games we have used in our teaching

Table 4.29. Debates we have used in our teaching

Table 4.30. Making activities we have used in our teaching

Chapter 5

Table 5.1. Language in UNO’s rules

Table 5.2. UNO gameplay language brainstorming

Table 5.3. Language you used while playing UNO

Table 5.4. Taking time to reflect on the language in UNO

Table 5.5. The language you noticed in a gamer text

Table 5.6. What we noticed in a gamer text

Table 5.7. Taking time to reflect on the language in the text

Table 5.8. Deeper text analysis, step 1

Table 5.9. Deeper text analysis, step 2

Table 5.10. Deeper text analysis, step 3

Table 5.11. Taking time to reflect a bit more on the language in the text

Table 5.12. Taking time to reflect on Words in the World for teachers and students

Table 5.13. Summary of Section 1; a comparison of language at the three levels

Table 5.14. Pre-play worksheet about words about games in the world

Table 5.15. Post-play worksheet about words about games in the world

Table 5.16. The rules of “20 Questions” create questions players ask each other

Table 5.17. Pros and cons of communicative language teaching

Table 5.18. A vocabulary literacy worksheet (example)

Table 5.19. Language differences in a rule book and a play session

Table 5.20. Masuda and deHaan’s (2015) comparison data of a game’s rulebook and gameplay

Table 5.21. Mini-map of the next few interstitials

Table 5.22. What does the Reddit comment mean to you?

Table 5.23. Debriefing questions about language, education, games, and society

Table 5.24. Worksheet to connect words from games to words in the world

Table 5.25. Jonathan’s scaffolding of students’ research work after playing and debriefing games

Table 5.26. Questions to help students propose more detailed participatory projects

Table 5.27. Different groups in the same class experiencing, understanding, and participating

Table 5.28. SPACE to imagine your class with groups going through different literacy journeys

Table 5.29. Jonathan’s simple four-step Pedagogy of Multiliteracies exploration

Table 5.30. Students in the Game Camp engaged in multiple literacy processes

Table 5.31. 6 ways to apply your knowledge about words and worlds

Table 5.32. Apply your knowledge about words and worlds with this Pedagogy of Multiliteracies worksheet

Table 5.33. Reflect on your literacy work

Table 5.34. Literacy teaching questions

Table 5.35. Example literacy worksheet titles

Table 5.36. Language or literacy we have experience with, and we think you’ll enjoy, too

Chapter 6

Table 6.1. A quick exercise

Table 6.2. James’ “Kotoba Rollers” pedagogy literacy and LLP beginnings

Table 6.3. Jonathan’s “Game Terakoya” pedagogy literacy and LLP beginnings

Table 6.4. An example of a character sheet for you!

Table 6.5. Play a different word game

Table 6.6. Reflect on the game

Table 6.7. Answer more questions about the text

Table 6.8. S is for Safe

Table 6.9. P is for Participation

Table 6.10. A is for Agency

Table 6.11. C is for Critical

Table 6.12. E is for Experiences

Table 6.13. Philosophy tentpoles

Table 6.14. Philosophy blindspots

Table 6.15. Philosophy questions

Table 6.16. A space for you to DRAW your teaching philosophy

Table 6.17. The why and how of your teaching philosophy

Table 6.18. Methods sorted by pedagogical philosophy

Table 6.19. Short teaching sequences

Table 6.20. Longer teaching sequences

Table 6.21. Materials sorted by pedagogical philosophy

Table 6.22. Short teaching sequences

Table 6.23. Longer teaching sequences

Table 6.24. An expensive classroom-as-playground

Table 6.25. A cheaper classroom-as-playground

Table 6.26. A “Goldilocks Zone” classroom-as-playground?

Table 6.27. The first part of Jonathan’s grading rubric. (More in the Online Resources 🔗)

Table 6.28. What games and teaching can do

Table 6.29. A simple example of when and how to mediate

Table 6.30. Mediation sorted by ways teachers can influence learning

Table 6.31. Teacher actions, addendum

Table 6.32. Mediation sequence template

Table 6.33. Mediation sequence 1

Table 6.34. Mediation sequence 2

Table 6.35. Mediation sequence 3

Table 6.36. Mediation sequence 4

Table 6.37. Mediation sequence 5

Table 6.38. Mediation sequence 6

Table 6.39. Mediation sequence 7

Table 6.40. Mediation sequence 8

Table 6.41. My LLP methods ingredients

Table 6.42. My LLP materials ingredients

Table 6.43. My LLP mediation ingredients

Table 6.44. LLP MMM shopping list

Table 6.45. Express your LLP kitchen

Table 6.46. Delicious (MMM!) LLP sequence 1

Table 6.47. Delicious (MMM!) LLP sequence 2

Table 6.48. Ways to play with our yeeted materials

Chapter 7

Table 7.1. Questions, LLP elements, and their related chapters

Table 7.2. Different considerations of what “literacy” means

Table 7.3. More questions about your students’ literacies

Table 7.4. A space for you to consider your constraints

Table 7.5. Who are your students?

Table 7.6. A space to pull all the above thoughts together

Table 7.7. Considerations for your methods, materials, and mediation techniques

Chapter 8

Table 8.1. Reasons to (and reasons not to) assess and share your ludic language pedagogy

Table 8.2. Assessment and SPACE creation

Table 8.3. Gameplay transcription LLP thermometer question and answer session

Table 8.4. Best play montage LLP thermometer question and answer session

Table 8.5. Evidence-based reflection instructions to students (Example 1)

Table 8.6. Evidence-based reflection instructions to students (Example 2)

Table 8.7. Evidence-based reflection instructions to students (Example 3)

Table 8.8. Evidence-driven reflection LLP thermometer question and answer session

Table 8.9. Example vocabulary test

Table 8.10. Vocabulary test LLP thermometer question and answer session

Table 8.11. The textual analysis sheet that Jonathan had his student use numerous times to analyze texts (deHaan, 2019)

Table 8.12. The sequence of analyzing and applying that Jonathan’s student did (deHaan, 2019)

Table 8.13. Literacy analysis LLP thermometer question and answer session

Table 8.14. Data that semi-structured interviews generated in Jonathan’s interview with a student (deHaan, 2019, p.30)

Table 8.15. Semi-structured interviews LLP thermometer question and answer session

Table 8.16. Concept maps LLP thermometer question and answer session

Table 8.17. Conscientiousness-pass use (from Tanaka, 2021)

Table 8.18. Stimulated recall LLP thermometer question and answer session

Table 8.19. Jonathan’s teaching and research plan 1 (from deHaan, 2019)

Table 8.20. James’s teaching and research plan 1 (from York, 2019, 2020b)

Table 8.21. James’s teaching and research plan 2 (from York, 2023a)

Table 8.22. Simple teaching sequence

Table 8.23. Simple teaching sequence with thermometers in

Table 8.24. Simple teaching sequence with different thermometers

Table 8.25. Simple teaching sequence with different thermometers again

Table 8.26. LLP research sequence 1

Table 8.27. LLP research sequence 2

Table 8.28. Ludic language pedagogy book concepts you can share

Details

Pages
XXXII, 600
Publication Year
2025
ISBN (PDF)
9781636675947
ISBN (ePUB)
9781636675954
ISBN (Softcover)
9781636675961
DOI
10.3726/b22314
Language
English
Publication date
2025 (March)
Keywords
Game-based learning gamification play pedagogy literacy education language teaching inclusivity diversity educational technology learning and society workbooks interdisciplinary games liberation assessment Freedom to Play A Ludic Language Pedagogy Primer James York Jonathan deHaan
Published
New York, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, Oxford, 2025. XXXII, 600 pp., 87 b/w ill., 170 tables.
Product Safety
Peter Lang Group AG

Biographical notes

Jonathan deHaan (Author) James York (Author)

Jonathan deHaan is an Associate Professor at the University of Shizuoka who views life through a literacy lens. He applies his experiences and insights about games, play, language, and life to his teaching. Formerly an advocate of video games he now focuses on creating meaningful learning experiences through his "Game Terakoya" playground. James York is a teacher and researcher at Meiji University, Tokyo, specializing in the intersection of games, play, and education. As the founder of York Game Lab, he designs and publishes games that blend learning and entertainment. James is also an avid gamer who enjoys playing titles like Super Smash Bros. with his son and takes pride in accomplishments such as completing Towerfall Ascension on Legendary difficulty.

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