Don’t be afraid to play

Ever think of using video games in your teaching? It might seem a bit odd, or even outlandish, but recent studies have shown that using video games as a learning tool can promote higher-order thinking, increase the positivity of a learning environment, and decrease achievement gaps. Dr. Janice Anderson, assistant professor of science education at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education, has been researching educational video games — Quest Atlantis, a 3D multi-player game, and Supercharged!, a 3D simulation game — as a resource to develop content knowledge for the past several years. Her research findings clearly suggest that video games increase students’ understanding and engagement with curricular content.

Dr. Anderson’s research

In Quest Atlantis players engage in a wide variety of quests, or adventures, that are focused on a variety of learning standards. Dr. Anderson researched the use of this game platform to support the instruction of water quality and ecosystems in three fifth-grade classrooms. Students in these classrooms engaged in a quest to identify some potential causes for a decrease of the fish population in a Quest Atlantis world. To do this the students had to interview game characters, take water samples, and analyze data in order to formulate a hypothesis about the fish population change. The students engaged in game play during 15-20 class periods lasting 45-60 minutes each. A comparison of pre-test and post-test scores as well as various forms of qualitative data showed significant learning gains. The game provided these students a context to engage and apply the content they were learning in the class.

In Supercharged! players propel and navigate a spacecraft by controlling its electric charge. Dr. Anderson researched the use of this game in teaching electrostatics in an undergraduate physical science lab for pre-service elementary teachers. In this research Dr. Anderson studied a total of six laboratory classes: three that used Supercharged! as a learning tool and three that used more traditional laboratory experiments and observations. There were a total of two lab periods, of two hours apiece, devoted to electrostatics.

As with the fifth-graders, the pre-service teachers who engaged in learning with the video game showed greater gains from their pre-test to post-test scores than the students who had a more traditional lab experience. Additionally, the students who played Supercharged! demonstrated a greater qualitative understanding of electrostatics than the students who did not have the opportunity to engage in the video game. Interestingly, however, when asked how much they had learned, the students who played Supercharged! rated their learning lower than the students in the traditional lab. Even though these students did demonstrate greater learning gains, they may not have seen the video game as a learning experience.

In Dr. Anderson’s studies, the students’ content learning was enhanced by the use of immersive video game environments. The students who used the video games as a learning tool showed a statistically significant increase from pre-test to post-test scores. In addition, the students’ conversational and conceptual understanding of the topics was enhanced by the use of the video games. Dr. Anderson’s research clearly suggests that video games can lead to higher learning outcomes.

Tips from Dr. Anderson

Video games work best as learning tools when they are coupled with inquiry-based, hands-on experiences.

Dr. Anderson’s use of these games was coupled with inquiry-based learning. The games create a context for the content to be engaged. It is the content instruction that the games are embedded in that give them meaning. The games are just one piece of the learning experience. It is important not to think of video games as a primary mode of instruction; they are instead a potentially powerful learning tool.

Don’t base what your students can do with video games on your own experiences with video games.

When many educators think about video games, they may think about early video game systems, such as Atari or the first generation Nintendo. The early video games, such as Pong or Mario Bros, were more skill-based, while more modern games rely more on critical thinking. Modern educational games can give students a type of hands-on experience that games of the past did not. Additionally, they can play a critical role in engaging students in classroom content.

So what?

Video games are in no way the magic bullet for teaching 21st-century students, but the research has shown that they can be a powerful teaching tool. There are more educational video games being developed every day, so don’t be afraid to play.

Web resources

Videos

“A Vision of K-12 Students Today“

Students today are unlike any previous generation. It is imperative that educators understand the uses and motivational potential of technology in the classroom. This Youtube video was created to inspire educators to think about how they might be able to harness technologies in their own practice.

General information

Wired blog posts

Archived posts on education from Wired’s video game blog.

Scholarly articles on digital games

From Digiplay Initiative, the blog of prominent video game researcher Jason Rutter.

Organizations

The Education Arcade

The Education Arcade’s mission is to promote learning through game play by demonstrating the social, cultural, and educational potentials of video games and by initiating new game development projects, coordinating research efforts, and informing public conversations about the uses of video games in the educational setting.

Learning Games Network

The Learning Games Network is a network of scholars, teachers, producers, and game designers focused on the development and distribution of new games centered on learning sciences across content areas.

Digital Game Research Association (DiGRA)

DiGRA is dedicated to advancing the study of digital games fostering the development of research practices and standards in the field.

A few popular educational games

Immune Attack

Immune Attach is a 3D game where players navigate through blood vessels and connective tissue to retrain the immune cells of an ill patient. In the game, players learn about the biological process of the human body to detect and fight infections.

Quest Atlantis

Quest Atlantis is a 3D multi-user gaming environment that focuses on a wide variety of curricular standards. Each quest within the game is focused on a different standard. Quest Atlantis has partnered with North Carolina to develop quests that are specifically tied to North Carolina curriculum standards.

SURGE

SURGE is a 2D game where players navigate a spaceship and apply physics principles to achieve an objective.

Researcher bio

Dr. Janice L. Anderson teaches elementary education science courses in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Dr. Anderson’s research interests include the use of educational games to teach science content, the impact of gender and race on students’ construction of scientific knowledge, supporting students in scientific inquiry, explanation and argumentation and the design and enactment of science curriculum materials.

A full biography can be found on the School of Education website.