Target audience
Teachers at different educational levels, school counsellors, educational psychologists, support teachers, social educators, adult educators, youth workers, project coordinators, mentors and professionals working with children, adolescents or adult learners.
This course is especially suitable for professionals interested in using modern board games, game-based learning and active methodologies to observe, understand and address behavioural, social and emotional challenges in educational contexts.
Duration
Objectives
1. Identify and understand the main behavioural and socio-emotional challenges addressed in the course, including impulsivity, lack of inhibitory control, communication difficulties, emotional dysregulation, peer conflict, bullying, screen overuse and online risks.
2. Explore how modern board games can be used as educational tools to observe behaviour, emotions, group dynamics and social interaction in a safe and structured environment.
3. Experience and analyse cooperative, communication-based and social deduction games as practical tools to promote self-regulation, attention, frustration tolerance, decision-making, active listening, teamwork, empathy and emotional intelligence.
4. Learn how to facilitate guided reflection and debriefing sessions after game-based activities in order to connect the gaming experience with real behavioural, social and emotional challenges.
5. Design and present a practical intervention proposal using board game-based tools, which will be assessed by the trainers according to its educational relevance, feasibility and connection with the course objectives.
Methodology
The course follows an eminently practical, active and experiential methodology. Participants learn by playing, observing, reflecting and designing their own educational applications.
Each session includes brief theoretical inputs, followed by practical board game-based activities, guided observation, group discussion and structured debriefing. Participants experience different types of games and dynamics, analyse what each activity helps to observe, and reflect on how these tools can be transferred to their own educational or professional contexts.
The training includes cooperative games, communication challenges, social deduction games, empathy-based activities, digital risk awareness activities and collaborative case design. The main focus is on hands-on experience, allowing participants to connect each activity with real behavioural, social and emotional challenges.
At the end of the course, participants work individually or in pairs to design a practical intervention case using the tools and methodologies explored during the training. These proposals are presented to the group and assessed by the trainers, who provide feedback on their educational relevance, feasibility and connection with the course objectives.
As part of the cultural and social dimension of the training, participants will also enjoy a guided visit around Valladolid and, on one of the afternoons, a tapas experience to discover the city’s local gastronomy in an informal and friendly atmosphere.
Contents
– Behavioural and socio-emotional challenges in educational contexts: impulsivity, inhibitory control, emotional regulation, communication difficulties, peer conflict, bullying, screen overuse and online risks.
– Board game-based learning as an observation tool: how modern board games can help educators identify behaviours, emotions, social interaction, group dynamics and hidden needs.
– Practical exploration of board games and game-based activities: cooperative games, communication-based games and social deduction games to work on self-regulation, attention, decision-making, teamwork, empathy, trust and emotional intelligence.
– Debriefing and educational transfer: strategies to guide reflection after game-based activities and connect the gaming experience with real behavioural, social and emotional challenges.
– Design, presentation and assessment of practical intervention proposals: participants will develop a board game-based intervention case, present it to the group and receive feedback and evaluation from the trainers.
Participants
Language
Dates and Course Venue
Dates and schedule can be adapted to the needs of the sending institution or group.
The course can be delivered in Valladolid, Spain, or in other formats agreed with the organising institution.
Cost
Info and registration
For further information, please write to: info@ludusmagnus.es
To register: https://forms.gle/bcBWHpw9jBwCFnk56
Trainers
Azael Herrero is a Full Professor at the Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, UEMC, and holds a PhD in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences from the University of León, with European Mention and Extraordinary Doctorate Award. In addition to his teaching work, he has held university management positions, including Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Vice-Rector for Academic Organisation and Faculty Affairs, and has a consolidated research career.
In the field of education, he stands out for his specialisation in gamification and board game-based learning, with more than 15 years of experience applying modern board games for educational purposes and gamifying his university teaching since 2017.
He is founder of the European Institute for Modern Board Games, Ludus Magnus, and leads initiatives and training activities, including training of trainers, linked to local and European projects such as Erasmus+. His work involves primary education, vocational education and university students, while also exploring the impact of board games on cognitive variables and quality of life in older adults.
Miriam Herrero Martín is an Educational Psychologist and Psychopedagogue, and she also trained as an Early Childhood Teacher. She holds postgraduate qualifications in Social Psychology and Sexology, and has eight years of professional experience as a school counsellor, supporting students, families and teaching teams in relation to learning, wellbeing and educational guidance.
She is currently completing a PhD at the University of Valladolid focused on the use of board games in Primary Education. Her work is strongly connected to active methodologies, educational innovation and the use of modern board games and digital tools to enhance motivation, learning and socio-emotional development.
Miriam has contributed to more than ten educational innovation initiatives and Erasmus-related projects, bringing a valuable psychological and pedagogical perspective to Ludus Magnus training courses. In this course, her expertise is especially relevant for addressing behavioural challenges, emotional regulation, communication difficulties, bullying, social conflicts and the educational use of board games as tools for observation, reflection and intervention.