Assignment #2

Assignment #2

Most important points about the game report

     How the games can help us in the learning and teaching, how to take advantage  from them and a lot of important information bring to us this report.

Aspects of design contributing to management in the classroom

Games varied greatly in the degree to which use could be managed in the classroom, and yet many of the desirable features identified by teachers could be implemented in many games with relative ease. This is especially so if designers take these matters into consideration at the design stage. It is important for teachers to have some kind of record of what each group has done during a session of gaming. Few games store scores even where they are awarded, or offer a record of what has been achieved.

The overall sense that quest and simulation games contributed to children’s learning was universal across the key stages. The nature of the learning supported by games use could be broadly divided into three types – learning as a result of tasks stimulated by the content of the games, knowledge developed through the content of the game, skills arising as a result of playing the game. This last one can be subdivided into direct and indirect learning.

Stimulus for learning The use of games as a stimulus for associated work was restricted to primary schools in practice, although this is not theoretically the case.

Content related learning Games vary as to the amount of content they contain which is of direct relevance to the school curriculum, but this is generally low. Even where the context seems to be relevant to curriculum content, the contribution this made to the child’s learning may be very peripheral.

Skills games develop There was a recognition across the age range that games support the development of a wide range of skills which are essential to the autonomous learner. Some of these related directly to the context of the game which developed skills such as problem solving, sequencing, deductive reasoning and memorisation. Others were a result of the learning context when children work in groups on a task. These included peer tutoring, co-operation and collaboration, and co-learning. In particular the nature of discussion around the task was valued throughout. This led to development of negotiating skills and group decision-making as well as respect for peers.

Personal and Social Development

I.               Provide interest and motivation to learn.

II.             Maintain attention and concentration levels.

III.           Can work as part of a group and can learn to share resources.

Language and literacy

I. Encourage children to explain what is happening.

II. Sustain attentive listening, responding to what they have heard by

relevant comments, questions or actions.

III. Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings

and events.

Mathematical development

I. Use everyday words to describe position.

Creative development

I. Recognise and explore how sounds can be changed, sing simple

songs from memory, recognise repeated sounds and sound patterns

and match movements to music.

II. Respond in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch

and feel.

III. Use their imagination in art and design, music, dance, imaginative

and role play and stories.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

I. Use early control software to investigate direction and control.

Physical Development

I. Fine motor control can be developed with the increased refinement

in using a mouse for navigation and selecting objects.

Integrating games use into the classroom It needs confidence with the genre and imagination to integrate games into learning tasks eg data handling and reading within Championship Manager, creative writing from Freddi Fish. It also requires a knowledge of the game which the teachers in this evaluation had taken time to develop. In terms of practical lesson planning this takes too much time to develop as it can only be done through playing the game. The more complex games are, the greater the need for more teacher preparation.

Learning outcomes valued by parents 85% of the parents evaluating games with their children believed that computer games contributed to learning as well as providing entertainment. Many acknowledged that the balance shifted with age, so that whilst games can be bought for younger children that directly contribute to the child’s spelling and maths skills, older children are more likely to value games directly for their entertainment value.

Integrating games use into family life Whilst 60% of the parents reported that their children played alone with the game at some time during the evaluation, only two children had had no one playing the game with them at any time. In 95% of the evaluating families other family members had got involved; siblings were the most common other family member, but parents were significantly represented, with 40% fathers and 22% mothers getting involved. About 40% reported that the children always played with friends, usually their own peer group, but occasionally a mixture of ages playing along. These trends were also reflected in the larger sample of questionnaires from children

Design and navigation issues As has been shown throughout this report, there are some valuable opportunities that some genres of game could offer to support learning outcomes within a formal educational setting. These opportunities could be greatly enhanced if some of the following program design issues were taken into consideration. Not all of these issues will necessarily apply to any one game, but addressing them where appropriate could significantly facilitate the use of games within an educational context.

Elements of games that make their play successful Whilst direct comparisons were not made with the variety of educational games that are available in the school context already, a number of comments did emerge through which pupils engaged in this project compared these games with those that they normally access in school, and commented on the way educational titles could be enhanced.

Curriculum issues Valuing thinking skills in the curriculum There were many comments from teachers, parents and pupils about the valuable ways in which games made them think. However, within the school curriculum teachers found it hard to justify using resources whose value lay in thinking alone, however effective that resource might be at developing thinking skills. Stimulating communication skills in school Many of the games evaluated were designed to be played by two players discussing the scenario and planning what to do. This discussion was often very much valued by the teachers involved, but again teachers felt that the game as stimulus would be hard to justify including within the curriculum as it is currently framed.