This week in Digital Technologies we learned that the Nintendo Wii can be used as a stimulus for learning. In class, we focused on the game Mario Kart and discovered that it can be used in a cross-curricular approach. We discussed how it can be used in the classroom in different ways to make lessons more enjoyable and exciting for children while they are still developing many important skills.
It has been said that Digital game-based Learning is incorporating gaming into learning as a way to increase engagement and motivate pupils. Also, there is a link between learning and playing which has been around for a long time, in fact, it predates the digital era by thousands of years. (Higher Education Academy website).
It has been argued by theorists Jean Piaget and Leonard Vygotsky that play is a crucial part of cognitive development from birth and through adulthood (Higher Education Academy website).
Not only does game-based learning make lessons more engaging but it also has many other characteristics which benefit children’s learning. These include: experimentation and risk- taking, which involves trying alternative courses of action; narrative and thematic threads, encouraging children to act and role play and social interaction, which gives children the opportunity to work with others. The characteristics that Games-based learning has just proves how beneficial it is to education. Not only can it be used across the curriculum, but it also allows children to interact with new resources and their classmates.
In class we also discussed what game-based learning is. Game-based learning has been described as high-quality materials a teacher uses to give students access to the curriculum; just like novels, films, plays and other media. The students are given a learning experience that is driven by play (Edutopia website).
The benefits of game-based learning are as follows: increased motivation, it grabs attention, recall of information, reinforce knowledge and stress-free and pleasurable.
Following on from these class discussions, we were then instructed to design our own Mario character and vehicle and then work in groups and create a mind map which details how the game “Mario Kart” could be used in different lessons across the curriculum effectively. My group decided to focus on four areas of the curriculum: Maths, Literacy, Art and Design and Music. We came up with different activities that a class could do, which included: making a price list for tickets and merchandise; writing their own storyline of their game, which would include them having to think creatively; designing and drawing their own character, kart, tickets, merchandise and track and re-creating the “Mario-Kart” theme tune and making their own version, which could be done using instruments or their voices. This activity alone has allowed us to think of lessons which cover four different expressions and outcomes, which we can use in our future careers. For maths, “I can use the terms profit and loss in buying and selling activities and can make simple calculations for this”. For literacy, “I can use my notes and other types of writing to help me understand information and ideas, explore problems, make decisions, generate and develop ideas or create new text” (MNU 2-09). I recognise the need to acknowledge my sources and can do this appropriately” (LIT 2-25a). for Art and Design, “I can create and present work that shows developing skill in using the visual elements and concepts” (EXA 2-03a) and “Through observing and recording from my experience across the curriculum, I can create images and objects which show my awareness and recognition (EXA 2-04a). Finally, for music the expression and outcome would be, “I can sing and play music from a range of styles and cultures, showing skill and using performance directions, and/or musical notation” (EXA 2-16a).
In conclusion, I think that this lesson on game-based learning has benefitted me as a student teacher because I have learned how to incorporate games and play into lessons to engage and motivate my future pupils. Not only have I learned about this, but I have also learned what is expected of me as a role model when I use this in the future. As a role models, we must ensure that game-based learning has positive impact on social skills, supports learning, enhances learning, develops skills and provides opportunities to apply skills. So overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of digital technologies and plan on using this knowledge in the future.
References
- Edutopia. (2016) 3 Ways to Use Game-Based Learning. [Online] Available: https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-ways-use-game-based-learning-matthew-farber [Accessed: 7 April 2018].
- Higher Education Academy. (2017) Gamification and Games-Based Learning. [Online] Available: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/gamification-and-games-based-learning [Accessed: 7 April 2018].
