Dialogue as Game and Play: on problem-based learning

Paolo Freire argues for a dialogical approach to teaching and learning (Freire, 1970). He emphasises this dialogical approach as a process, as something temporal. In this paper it is this processive character of the dialogue that I take a closer look at. Based on ideas of pragmatic constructivism (Henriksen et al, 2004; Nørreklit, 2017 & 2020), especially the concepts dialogue (Henriksen, 2019 & 2023) and conceptualisation (Henriksen et al, 2004, pp. 24; Nørreklit, 1978). That is, I will argue that the concept ‘play’ and ‘dialogue as a game’ can shed light on this process and equip dialogue with the kind of temporal element Freire was asking for above. I do so by presenting the concept of play as it is found in the hermeneutics of Gadamer (1960/1992) and Wittgenstein (1953).