Vol. 5 No. 2 (2025): Change
Articles

Active Learning Through Aesthetic Board Games: A Reflective Workshop Session on Mentoring

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  • Zsófia Kocsis
Zsófia Kocsis University of Debrecen image/svg+xml

Published 2025-12-30

Keywords

  • board games,
  • higher education,
  • active learning,
  • mentoring,
  • peer mentor

Copyright (c) 2025 Zsófia Kocsis

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Active Learning Through Aesthetic Board Games: A Reflective Workshop Session on Mentoring. (2025). Papers in Arts and Humanities, 5(2), 105-132. https://doi.org/10.52885/pn0s4171

Abstract

In a time of growing complexity, higher education is undergoing profound change. Increasing social inequalities, shifting student needs, and the call for more inclusive and engaging teaching methods pose serious challenges for educators. Active learning is a key element of higher education, as it enhances student engagement, supports deeper understanding,and promotes the development of transferable skills. Among active learning methods, game-based learning offers a unique opportunity to develop competencies by combining emotional engagement, critical thinking, and social awareness. This study presents a workshop that uses storytelling and socially engaged board games to strengthen core competencies among future peer mentors, such as empathy, collaboration, reflexivity, and sensitivity to inequality. The training began with a symbolic reflection using Dixit cards, it continued with a Roma folktale and a thematically linked memory game, followed by the board game Mentortársas 2.0, in which mentor–mentee pairs navigate the challenges of the Hungarian education system. Through role-play and chance-driven obstacles, participants gain insight into how structural inequalities shape educational opportunities. By integrating emotionally and aesthetically rich narratives with game mechanics, the workshop created space for active involvement and reflective learning. Participants highlighted that the games offered a meaningful and motivating context for practicing mentoring-related skills and for exploring social issues. Several students noted feeling inspired to integrate similar tools into their future mentoring practice. Overall, the workshop demonstrates how game-based learning can effectively support the pedagogical and emotional preparation of future mentors working with disadvantaged students.

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