Games Based Learning

This week the topic of focus was Games Based Learning (GBL) within the primary school classroom. I had some previous knowledge to build from as we had had a lecture on this earlier in the year and we also had a guest speaker, a fourth year student, come to tell us about her experiences of using GBL on her placement. The games which the speakers informed us about were ‘Dr Kawashima’s Brian Training’- used to improve maths skills, ‘Nintendogs’- which taught younger pupils about caring, and ‘Guitar Hero’- which was used to ease transition from P7 to S1. The software which I have chosen to elaborate on is Brian Training, presented to us by David Miller. Click the link to go to Report:

Brain Training In Schools

‘Dr Kawashima’s Brian Training’ is known as a COTS game, which is created for commercial use but as a teacher we must have the knowledge to manipulate the game so it is suitable to enhance the learning in schools. The research carried out by Robertson and Miller (2011) and it involved 634 primary 6 pupils in 32 schools. The aim was to find out if the Brain Training would improve their number skills and to carry out this the participating pupils did a number test at the beginning of the 9 weeks. The pupils then played the Nintendo DS for 20 minutes every morning with one brain age check a week. At the end of the term the pupils retook the same number test which they sat at the start, and the Nintendo group scored 50% higher than the control group. This demonstrates how using an electronic game can improve children’s academic skills significantly. Here is a video clip which was used to introduce the key concepts of the game to us:

The prospect of using games in class would be beneficial to children as it offers a multisensory, engaging experience. Solomon and Schrum (2007) suggest reasons for this in their book, “Players get feedback throughout the game letting them know whether the strategies used are helping to achieve the objects. Games are built on one or more challenges and have an engaging sequence that keeps the player interested.” (p.90). This instant feedback has the potential to improve pupils self-esteem because they are getting more competent as they improve. Throughout the lectures the concept of Social Constructivism in relation to GBL was discussed, as children who were skilled in the game were beginning to teach other children how to play it. Learning and Teaching Scotland (undated) promote GBL and the elaborate on this on their website, “This framework requires the active involvement of the children in the construction of their own meaning, understanding and developing skill set. Inherent and fundamental to social constructivism is the idea that we also must appreciate that the learner does not operate in a dry theoretical vacuum but within a complex and dynamic social framework.” (no page given). This also interlinks with Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956) which focuses on creating higher order thinking through activities and questions. This can be carried out in the class through creating follow activities to extend the knowledge on the software. Therefore, it is vital to have the GBL contextualised and embedded in the curriculum and this will also aid the children to develop transferable skills. Prensky (2006) refers to this notion as situational awareness “Game players get good at taking in information from many sources, pulling together date from many places into a coherent picture of the world, and making good decisions quickly” (p.6). This demonstrates how using GBL can establish lifelong skills for pupils which can be applied in other areas of the curriculum.

In relation to Curriculum For Excellence GLB marries up with the Principle of relevance as ‘digital native’ children of today are bombarded with computer games. The Scottish Government (2004) explain this, “They should see the value of what they are learning and its relevance to their lives, present and future.” (no page given). In addition, as it is so relevant to the learners’ lives they would become more engaged and motivated by the learning taking place. This is then backed up by Buckingham (2007) in his book, “By building connections between classroom uses of technology and children’s out-of-school experiences, they have been regarded as a way of capitalizing on the benefits of ‘informal’ learning, and of validating the diverse ‘learning styles’ of different students.” (p.117). Buckingham (2007) also discusses GBL in his book and explains how the game would meet the Principle of ‘Personalisation and Choice, “Yes games also appear to permit more personalized forms of learning and to accommodate different learning styles; and they are often seen to embody the more ‘informal’ approach that educators are keen to co-opt.” (p.102). In addition, the use of games met the capacities of the Curriculum too. For example the Curriculum should enable learners to become ‘Successful Learners’ as metacognitive awareness, a higher order thinking, is developed which allows them to consider their role in the teaching and learning process.

On the contrary to this, there are obstacles which would limit the use of GBL in the primary classroom. A principal issue is cost; it is incredibly money consuming to provide a game and console of a class of pupils. Freitas (2006) lists the barriers of using this method in education and one of which is, “access to the correct hardware including PCs with high end graphics video cards…” (p.16). I believe, however, it is possible to overcome these hurdles with the correct management of the devices, for example giving classes time slots for use and the correct support and training days for staff.

To conclude, I am excited about the prospecting of using GBL my career and I believe it is an motivating way for children to gain and improve on numerous skills. It is also very relevant to current education as it meets the principles of the Curriculum.

For an reflection on the ‘Guitar Hero’ project see Ashley's Blog

References

Buckingham, D. (2007). Beyond Technology. Cambridge: Polity Press

J, Freitas (2006). Learning in Immersive Worlds: A review of game-based learning. Available at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearninginnovation/gamingreport_v3.pdf [Last accessed 07/02/12]

Prensky, M. (2006).  Don’t Bother Me Mom- I’m Learning. St. Paul: Paragon House.

The Scottish Government (2004). How is the Curriculum Structured? Available at: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/understandingthecurriculum/howisthecurriculumstructured/principles/index.asp [Last accessed 07/02/12]

Solomon, G. and Schrum, L.  (2007).  Web 2.0: New tools, new schools.  Washington: ISTE.

Learning in Immersive worlds