The Games in Schools Community of Practice
Derek Robertson
National Adviser for Emerging Technologies and LearningLearning and Teaching Scotland (LTS)– 19.06.2009
Summary description
Introduction
This report summarises the activity, and in particular, the focus discussion topics that were featured in European Schoolnet’s online community of practice ( launched on a Ning platform on March 23rd 2009. Its' primary purpose was to especially encourage teachers not involved in using digital games as learning tools in schools begin to engage with the ideas associated with this practice, as well as act as a central resource for debate and the sharing of ideas between European partners involved with games based learning projects in schools. The Games in Schools Ning was launched in the weeks leading up to European Schoolnet's Games in Schools conference, that took place on the 5 May 2009 in the AgoraBuilding of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
Members
To date there are 548 members of the Games in Schools Ning. Almost every European country is represented and there is also representation from interested parties that are as far afield as Australia and America. Members joined the Games in Schools Ning as a result of being directly invited or by hearing about the developing community on various channels such as Twitter, blogs etc.
Features of the Ning
The main thrust of the Games in Schools Ning was to encourage debate and to share practice via the discussion forums. However, other facilities such as the sharing photographs and video upload added an extra dimension to the community as it allowed us to share the still and moving visuals of the various projects that colleagues were involved with.
Discussion Topics
In the weeks leading up to the Games in Schools Conference a weekly focused discussion topic was released to the community. Members were notified of the discussion topic by means of a broadcast email that was sent to every member of the Ning community. The discussion topics were devised by the community's moderator, Derek Robertson (LTS), and partly chosen in relation to the issues dealt with in European Schoolnet's Games in Schools Handbook, soon to be published. The topics covered included definitions, examples, benefits, and issues of concern related to games based learning. Other topics addressed were commercial of the shelf games versus bespoke educational games, and the existing evidence base and future of games based learning.
European Schoolnet – Rue de Trèves 61 – 1040 Brussels, Belgium –
CONTENTS
Summary description
Introduction
Members
Features of the Ning
Discussion Topics
Topic 1: Definitions of games based learning and thoughts on its increased profile in schools
Week beginning: Monday 23 March 2009
Number of replies: 15
Topic 2: How are you using games in schools? What examplesfrom all ages can you share with us to show how games have been integrated into learning?
Week beginning: Monday 30 March 2009
Number of replies: 19
Topic 3: What do you know or believe to be the benefits of games based learning in schools? How might its appropriate use impact on the cognitive and affective development of learners?
Week beginning: Monday 6 April 2009
Number of replies: 5
Topic 4: What issues of concern are there in relation to games based learning that may prevent or inhibit their use in classrooms?
Week Beginning: Monday 13 April 2009
Number of replies: 18
Topic 5: What evidence base is there that shows if, and how, games based learning can have a positive impact on teachingand learning? 21
Week beginning: Monday 20 April 2007
Number of replies: 7
Topic 6: Can bespoke GBL resources compete with commercially available off the shelf games that are now being used in classrooms?
Week beginning: Monday 27 April 2009
Number of replies: 12
Topic 7: What does the future hold for games based learning in schools?
Week beginning: Monday 4 May 2009
Number of replies: 2
Concluding remarks
Topic 1: Definitions of games based learning and thoughts on its increased profile in schools
Week beginning: Monday 23 March 2009
Number of replies: 15
In order to begin the series of weekly focus discussion topics it was decided that defining what might be meant by the term ‘Games Based Learning’ would be a good place to start for the members of the Game in Schools Ning. There is no hard and fast established definition of this term/practice and no doubt the approaches applied in this field, and the particular contextual perception of what the term can mean, were likely to differ widely throughout the participating community members.
The headline forum question was phrased in the following way:
“What is your definition of games based learning and what do you think may be contributing to the ground swell in practice and interest in the use of games based learning in schools? Do you think perceptions of games based learning have changed in recent times?”
Responses from the community
The first response to this discussion topic came from Ben Williamson (researcher at Futurelab, England) who offered a thought provoking take on the topic in question. Tempered with some degree of caution about the need for schools to be careful of how corporate companies can try to seduce education by over-emphasising what a game can do for learners:
''The concern I have about a lot of the existing arguments about the benefits of games is that they do, in fact, end up talking about "skills" as if playing games itself is enough to "re-skill" society. OK, I'm convinced that gaming requires skills development. But when the argument quickly come down to assertions such as "games will help your kids succeed in the 21st century" I find myself confused. Is that it? Games are just a seductive mechanism for sneaking a few skills into kids? Games are so good at skilling kids up that the world of business and the economy will end up transformed? It's fishy and overly deterministic. And it's easy to understand why that kind of argument is popular with the big commercial organisations: the skills games apparently provide just happen to be the same skills that commercial organisations say they need in new employees! Maybe that's a conspiracy theory too far, but when I attend major games industry events and am told by major keynote speakers from major corporates that games are perfect platforms for learning skills, I get suspicious.”
However, Ben was also keen to offer his perception of what a definition can mean when he stated that the best examples of games based learning he has seen “come from enthusiastic, gifted teachers who are applying the use of games to genuine educational aims. In that sense, the best definition of game-based learning is: The use of games as resources to support the aims of clever, professional and committed teachers who care about the children they teach and understand that games are an important medium in children's lives.”
This point drew responses from various members of the community who concurred with this emphasis on the role of the teacher being so important in the appropriate and successful application of games based learning to address particular educational outcomes:
Derek Robertson (LTS, Scotland) responded by saying, “at the heart of it (games based learning) though is the desire to create the context/ethos in schools in which the creative teachers that you speak of feel confident enough and have the appropriate support to take informed risks with games to help address their ideas to take learners forward. Your definition is one that rightly, in my opinion, puts the teacher at the heart of this practice.''
The importance of the role of the teacher was also emphasised by Dawn Hallybone (primary school teacher, England), “I feel games based learning should be about teachers using tools to enable good teaching that enhances the education of the children. It also engages those that may be 'turned off' by the traditional methods of teaching.We all learn in different ways, as good teachers are aware” and by Margaret Cassidy (primary school teacher, Scotland) who offered this comment about how her definition has been influenced by the practice that she has seen happening in the schools that she supports: “Games based learning to me means using games as a 'hook' to motivate and excite children (and teachers) in their learning. I have been privileged to see this first hand and love to see children who are eager to talk to you about their learning; I do not believe in using gaming 'just for the sake of it' but feel, if used in the correct context, can be a very powerful tool for learning.”
The concept of games based learning being something that was very much wrapped up in the excellent and informed practice of a teacher, seemed to be a popular one. However Eleni Kyraki (secondary school teacher, Greece) did not subscribe to this developing definition of practice when she argued “A game can be didactic, but is something to do in your free time. In any case it is not compatible with the every day school routine in an average school.”
Other attempts at defining what might be meant by the term Games Based Learning came from:
Alexa Joyce (European Schoolnet, Belgium) “For me game-based learning is the acquisition of new skills / competence through a playful experience, based on a set of commonly agreed rules. The rules are at the very least agreed between the game designer and player, but can be agreed between players where you have more than one. It doesn't have to involve electronic/digital environments; game-based learning can be anywhere/how...''
and Roto Giacomo (primary school teacher, Italy) “My “definition” of games based learning is strictly related with my professional experience as teacher in a primary school. Playing is a natural activity for young learners (and not only for younger ones, I think...). In my daily activities I use simple games as simulation, role-play....(I’m a language teacher) because pupils need to use language in a stimulating and interesting context and, according to this, videogames are a sort of natural, technological “evolution” of gaming itself. Games develop a kind of learning closer to pupils characteristics than the symbolic reconstructive one. But are games for pupils only?
The last summer I attended a course in Norwich, at Nile’s (Norwich Institute of Language Education, UK) where we played many different games during our learning activities, games tailored not specifically for kids but for adult learners. After months and months, I clearly remember each game and, especially, my learningoutputs and reflections about processes active in all the games played. I realized that “learning by playing” is not only kids stuff.”
The community did not appear to come to any general consensus about what a definition of games based learning might be. It appears that those involved in games based learning in schools are still very much trying to articulate what a definition of this practice might be, but there is a feeling that the most appropriate and effective practice seems to be directly linked to the way in which a teacher is able to make links from a game to the planned experiences of learners.
Topic 2: How are you using games in schools? What examplesfrom all ages can you share with us to show how games have been integrated into learning?
Week beginning: Monday 30 March 2009
Number of replies: 19
Our attempts in the first discussion forum at establishing a working definition of games based learning led us to consider the importance of the role of the teacher in the games based learning interaction that might occur in schools. The focus of this forum discussion topic offered those teachers the chance to talk about how they are using games based learning in their own particular context.
The supplementary question that teased out this discussion topic also referred to material sourced from the forthcoming teachers' handbook about games based learning from European Schoolnet. The introductory discussion post was as follows:
The application of games in schools and how we can continue to help articulate what effective practice in this area actually means is the main aim of this forum. This particular discussion would like to explore the many and varied ways in which colleagues are using games in the teaching and learning context. We’d love to know just what it is you are doing with games….
Are you using :
- commercial off the shelf games that might be available for the console and handheld market leaders?
- games that have a bespoke design so that their use has a clear educational purpose built in?
- applications that allow the learner/player to become the creator of their own environments/game experience thus allowing them to become the creators and not just the consumers of games?
- Serious Games, those designed not for fun but for education and training purposes? If so, which ones and how are using them?
- virtual worlds or MMORPG environments with your pupils?
As well as using these starters to kick-start the debate I would also like to take the opportunity to make reference to material from European Schoolnet's forthcomingTeachers' Handbook, to widen the debate.
Extract from Digital Games in schools: A handbook for teachers(European Schoolnet, 2009)
''Successful applications of educational games
Video games have already been used for training, educational or therapeutic purposes. The following lists some of the most common use of serious games.
1.1.1 Military and Firefighter Training
In the military sector, MMORPGs are used not only to recruit soldiers but also to teach them strategic skills. For example, Americas’ Army has been employed to recruit soldiers and as a training resource by the American government. It is now available as a commercial video game, which has been significantly successful.
1.1.2 Fitness, Mental and Physical Health
The technology available for 3D-based video games has made it possible to create highly realistic environments and simulations. This remarkable level of detail has been employed to cure post-traumatic stress or phobias (Emmelkamp et al., 2001 ). When they are immersed in a safe, yet realistic environment, patients can learn to cope with their fears while feeling in control. Video games have also been used to relax patients before surgery to decrease their apprehension. Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit have recently been used and assessed for their potential to improve health and fitness and it was shown that, when used as part of a balance lifestyle. These consoles can help to improve fitness and general health (ISSA: International Sports Sciences Association, 2007 ). Video games have also been used successfully for adults with chronic illnesses.
1.1.3 Learning by Creating Video Games
Experiments have been conducted, through which students were required to create their own video games using a game engine. These initiatives made it possible for students to understand programming principles, while collaborating with other peers. For example, the game engine Game Maker is used in several schools. It consists of intuitive drag’n’drop tools to create 2D and 3D video games which can then be uploaded on the editor’s website and made available for download. This type of development tool benefits technical and collaborative skills and the creation of online communities.
1.1.4 Mobile Development and Augmented Reality
Using augmented reality, it is possible to obtain relevant information on one’s surrounding environment through a digital device (e.g. helmet or mobile phone). Due to their popularity, handheld devices have been combined to augmented reality in projects where mobility and location were significant factors for learning activities. For example, in Savannah, a strategy-based adventure game, children use their mobile phone, and have to successfully adopt strategies followed by lions to survive . Similarly, in the Museum Augmented Reality Quest (MARK), players are equipped with a handheld game console. They visit a museum and are asked to complete tasks and challenges. The handheld console is used to provide them with additional information on artefacts found in the museum and to virtually interact with them (Schmalstieg and Dieter, 2007 ).
1.1.5 Raising Awareness
Video games have been used to raise awareness and to help discussing topics that can be taboo, such as pollution, environmental threats, sexual health or bullying. For example, in the recently developed video game Global Conflicts: Latin America , the player impersonates a journalist who leads an investigation to uncover the causes and consequences of industrial pollution in South America. Likewise, in the video game Darfur is Dying, players impersonate refugees in Darfur camps. Through their journey, players are lead to understand the horror of genocide.
1.1.6 Learning History
Video games have been used in primary and secondary schools to illustrate concepts in science, history or geography. For example, the video game Civilization III was used in American schools to teach history (Squire, 2004 ). Similar experiments were carried out in Danish schools (Egenfeldt-Nielsen, 2005 ) using Europa Universalis II.''
The above are some examples of how games have been used.
Please share your experience with the community. No doubt there are some hidden gems of excellent games based learning practice out there....
Responses from the community
As the responses came in to this discussion forum it became clear that there were three developing approaches being used by community members. These were:
- Application of Commercial off the shelf (COTS) games
- Games design applications
- The use of bespoke educational games
The application of commercial off the shelf games proved to be quite a common approach. Some might describe this approach to games based learning as one that sees a game that was designed for entertainment, not education, being retro-fitted to fit a particular educational outcome. Some of the responses elaborating on this particular aspect of games based learning were as follows: