In his quote, Malcolm X explained that "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." This quote illustrates the need to modernize our curriculum and education system in the United States. Increasingly, our government is focusing on teacher preparation and legislation based on this reform. But is this occurring fast enough?
Within these efforts, lie solutions for keeping students engaged, challenging them to think critically, and promoting their confidence to explore new concepts. Teachers in all parts of the globe have become increasingly surrounded by information and tools related to modern teaching methods and technology integration. School Districts are exploring the transition to digital curriculum, including this blog post - game-based learning.
Brief History of Games Games have existed since pre-modern ages, spanning places from the Mediterranean to East Asia and Africa. Bones were the most often used tool in these ancient games. Other examples included shells, stones, and sticks. I can note that most prehistoric games included preparation to strengthen children's hunting skills. In Ancient Egypt, one of the first games discovered is "senet." Senet has a game-board with 30 squares, arranged in three rows of 10. The game-board and pieces look like a combination between chess and mancala, two popular board games of today. ‘Snakes and Ladders’ is based upon the Hindu game of Gyan Chaupar (the game of knowledge which has players navigate their game piece, according to die rolls, from start to finish by climbing ladders and falling down snakes). This game has historical roots in morality lessons, highlighting upon life's complication of virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes). Xianggi, also known as Chinese chess, is a strategy game that involves two players and represents a battle between two armies with an aim to checkmate the enemy's general or king. Indigenous North American peoples played various kinds of stickball games which are attributed to today's modern lacrosse. As displayed, games throughout history have taken pivotal roles in educating others and strengthening skills that are useful for survival.
What is Game-Based Learning?
Game-based learning incorporates Gamification (game elements such as incentive systems to motivate players in a task) to achieve desired learning outcomes. An example of gamification in classrooms is when students receive points or stickers after completing an assignment. Game based learning involves "redesigning the homework activities, using artificial conflict and rules of play, to make them more engaging." Plass, J. L. et al. (2015), Pg. 259.
Why Use Game-Based Learning?
Game based learning involves four factors. The first factor is motivation, which can include the use of incentive structures such as stars, points, badges, or trophies. Plass, J. L. et al. (2015), Pg. 260 states, “Games for entertainment can motivate learners to stay engaged over long periods through a series of game features that are motivational.” The second factor is player engagement, which is where players can be engaged using gestures, game characters, or performing physical actions as part of play. Plass, J. L. et al. (2015), Pg. 260
The Importance of Game Mechanics:
In order for the goal of a game's creation to be successful, the game must have elements of design that are appealing to the player. These include a visual appeal, narrative design (in-game actions or dialogues), musical score, and content and skills (preparation of future learning and development of 21st century skills). The following chart displays a breakdown of these elements to create game-based learning.
Putting Our Knowledge to Practice
In a 2012 study, “Does Math Achievement h’APP’en when iPads and Game-Based Learning are Incorporated into Fifth-Grade Mathematics Instruction?” researchers sought to discover if math achievement differed when students received iPads in a 1:1 setting for mathematical instruction compared to students in the group who did not receive iPads. The participants in this study included two fifth-grade classes in Virginia, totaling 104 students. The experimental group comprised 56 students and the control group comprised 48 students. Researchers investigated students over one academic quarter. Prior to receiving the iPads, the students took a Virginia SOL (Standards of Learning) pretest and took a post-test after the intervention. The post-test scores were compared to the original scores and used as a measurement in the student's mathematical achievement.
The results of the study found the control group completed the pretest with a mean score of 55.58%. Their post-test score had a mean of 62.25%. This is an increase of 6.67%. The experimental group had a pretest score of 61.05 % and a post-test score of 67.79%. This is an increase of 6.74%. The results display just a .7% increase in test results when students use iPads in connection to instruction.
Learning Why
At the time of this study, game-based learning and technologies were still being assessed in many schools. OER's (Open Educational Resources) that many teachers use today have also not been or were still being developed. As educators, we can ask ourselves questions about how we could retest this study in our modern age of technology. Some questions I have asked myself include: "Are students using technology in the classroom?", "If so, what kind of technology is it?", "What tools, apps, or websites are students using. How long are they using them?", and "Do students enjoy using technology?"
Lack of Resources and Funding
‘Incorporating Video Games into Education’ requires educators to “possess either some pre-existing technology skills or a desire to learn them”, which may not always be the case. These technologies may have learning curves that older teachers may not understand. In these cases, and without training, students do not gain access to technology in the classroom. Korza, B.; Peake, B. (2015) Teachers and schools may not have access to technology like computers for the creation and use of these game-based lessons. Computers, software, and other tools often require funding that is not always readily available. Many teachers place old personal computers or iPads in their classrooms so their students have access to technology. There is also “little financial incentive for publishers to produce educational games.” This lack of financial incentive hinders the amount and quality of educational games available for teachers to use.
Designing Games
A hypothesis that students lack interest in mathematics was tested by interviewing and surveying almost 180 students at Kroggaardskolen in Odense, Denmark. The results found that students from 1st to 9th grade had a decline in their interest in math. "Based on this data, a clear trend appeared; the older the students get, the less they find mathematics interesting. " Plass-Nielsen J, Wolter Nielsen OB. The study identified that, when designing a mathematical game, it should focus on acquiring mathematical thinking rather than calculations. This concept will be useful when researching and exploring game-based learning platforms.
Tools for Success (Create)
Minecraft for Education is a platform based on the popular game, Minecraft that allows teachers to create lessons in virtual worlds that can be manipulated by adding, removing, or changing blocks and items. Teachers and students can work together through multiplayer mode, use accessibility features, use pre-made lessons or create their own, and have access across the most popular platforms, including Chromebooks and iPad!
Swift Playgrounds is a revolutionary app for iPad and Mac that makes it fun to learn and experiment with Swift — a powerful programming language created by Apple and used by the pros to build today’s most popular apps. Swift Playgrounds requires no coding knowledge, so it’s perfect for students just starting. This app allows its users to learn how to code through simple-to-follow lessons. Students can use this app to design code using a drag-and-drop feature to design apps or games. This app has an intuitive design interface for elementary-age students to understand. Swift Playgrounds is an app that is available on iPad and Mac designed by Apple.
Tools for Success (Learn)
Cool Math 4 Kids is a website hosted by the popular, Cool Math Games that not only hosts educational math games but also lessons, quizzes, manipulatives, and brain teasers. This website is perfect for teachers, parents, and students alike.
Prodigy is a web-based platform that allows students to log in and explore virtual worlds, complete quests, and battle friends to win exciting rewards. This platform is geared toward students in grades 1st to 8th. Students can level up their character by completing math quests and solving problems. The questions that the students will see are aligned with their grade level and curriculum. It also provides questions based on students’ progress and learning needs.
Education.com is a website that hosts printable worksheets, guided lessons, and online games from Pre-K to 8th grade. There are over 400 easy-to-access games on this website that are aligned to the common core state standards. These games come with other instructional materials by selecting “see in a guided lesson” on a game page.
Tools for Success (Assessment)
99Math is an interactive assessment tool much like Kahoot but focused on education! 99Math focuses on standards-aligned assessments for grades 1st to 12th. This tool tracks real-time student answers, class accuracy, class progress, and student mistakes. Through a time-based method, it displays the time it took for a student to solve a problem and whether they got it correct.
Blooket is much like Kahoot or 99math.com but has a vast library for different topics, including ELA, Science, History, or Math. This assessment tool has different modes that the class can play, such as tower defense, café, or factory. Between each round, students must solve problems or questions selected by the teacher and gain points to win the game!
Articles Mentioned:
Footnotes:
Carr, J. M. (2012). Does Math Achievement h’APP’en when iPads and Game-Based Learning are Incorporated into Fifth-Grade Mathematics Instruction? Journal of Information Technology Education, 11, 269–286. https://doi.org/10.28945/1725
Plass-Nielsen J, Wolter Nielsen OB. How to Enhance Interest in Mathematics by Using Game-Based Learning. Proceedings of the European Conference on Games Based Learning. January 2019:1024-1027. doi:10.34190/GBL.19.073
Barreto, D., Vasconcelos, L., & Orey, M. (2017). Motivation and learning engagement through playing math video games. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction (MJLI), 14 (2), 1-21.https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=eric&AN=EJ1166723&site=eds-live&scope=site
Computer Games for the Math Achievement of Diverse Students. (2010). Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 13(3), 224–232.
Plass, J. L et al (2015) Foundations of Game-Based Learning. Educational Psychologist, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1090277.pdf
Korza, B.; Peake, B. (2015) Incorporating Video Games into Education, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-110115-221932/unrestricted/Incorporating_Video_Games_into_Education.pdf
An interesting blog post. So much information on game based learning!