Building community in the classroom through jigsaw learning

Play is a key aspect of learning (Vygotsky, 2016; Skene et al. 2022), supporting both cognitive and skills development, and emotional and social wellbeing. However, it is often absent from tertiary education. The restructuring of childhood and reduction of play has been identified as a key driver of poor mental health among young adults (Haidt, 2025), with universities often left bearing the brunt of this youth mental health crisis (Cogan et al. 2025). Drawing on the pedagogical field of playwork, I am interested in how teachers can systematically attempt to integrate key aspects of play (joy, meaning, active engagement, iteration and social interaction) into university pedagogy. Here I describe one such attempt, through a second-year assessment in human geography, that integrates jigsaw learning and the production of a podcast to try and bring play into the university classroom.