Game-Based Learning Environment Design

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Topic/Subject Matter
Literature Review
Learning Environment Description
References

Introduction

The lack of basic math skills at an elementary level has led to the establishment of strategies that can enhance learners’ level of understanding of the subject. Hence, the current study seeks to design a game-based learning atmosphere for my educational center. The goal is to augment students’ comprehension of some specified math fundamentals. The topic selected for this task is the “Multiplication Fact” whereby students will have an opportunity to learn various basic math concepts in an environment that will be conducive for this goal to be achieved. Consequently, to facilitate the suggested game-based learning environment, the teacher will deploy various technological devices, which include laptops, iPads, a Reflex game, and a projector.

Topic/Subject Matter

According to Rave and Golightly (2014), teachers are driven by the need to come up with a strategy that can improve learners’ level of math comprehension. The authors acknowledge the existence of struggles reported among students who cannot grasp basic mathematics concepts. Hence, from the study by Rave and Golightly (2014), the introduction of an intervention plan showed some remarkable improvements in learners’ performance, especially regarding confidence levels when performing multiplication tests. The study by Harvey-Swanston (2017) had similar findings whereby “the development of fluency, which involves not just the quick and efficient recall of facts, but a flexible approach to deriving new ones, demands a deep conceptual understanding of multiplication” (p. 20). Research by O’Connell and SanGiovanni (2011) confirms that indeed being poorly equipped with some basic math operations may influence learners’ comprehension of other subjects. With this foundation, game-based learning is presented as an effective way of solving this problem.

Literature Review

History of Game-Based Learning

The concept of gaming in schools can be traced back to the 1970s, an era that is characterized by the introduction of microcomputers (Longo, 2013). Renowned stakeholders and pioneers such as Davison and the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) ushered the globe into a new area whereby school-going children would be introduced to educational gaming. In fact, according to Rankin (2015), any account of educational gaming or computing may never be precise without giving credit to the role that MECC played in ensuring the recorded wide availability of computing and gaming gadgets in educational centers. The above expositions confirm that indeed game-based learning is not new. The subsequent rapid uptake of advanced technologies, including the use of iPads and laptops, enhanced the concept of a game-based learning setting. Additional learning components such as playing using the above gadgets have been incorporated to ease learners’ understanding of course contents.

Theories and Concepts

One of the theories upon which the concept of game-based learning is founded is that play enhances learners’ cognitive development (Plass, Homer, & Kinzer, 2015). However, borrowing from Vygotsky, a renowned behavioral theorist, play, or video gaming needs to be modified in a manner that can benefit the targeted parties (Plass et al., 2015). Also, findings from the study by Denham, Mayben, and Boman (2016) form the basis for the embracement of game-based learning. This famous study is regarded as having deployed the largest number of participants to determine the uptake of gadget-aided teaching in schools. As Denham et al. (2016) assert, “the 694 K-8 teachers surveyed nationwide, 74 % make use of digital games for instructional purposes, with 55 % of those teachers using games every week” (p. 71). Plass et al. (2015) confirm this pronouncement through their observation that game-based learning borrows heavily from behavioral, cognitive, and constructive concepts, owing to the substantial positive influence that this combination has on learners’ comprehension of course contents, especially multiplication tests.

Learning Environment Description

Appearance

Any teacher or a student entering the 4th-grade classroom will be ushered into an atmosphere that is characterized by game-based learning tools. According to Plass et al. (2015), the recognition of gadget-aided gaming as a tool that can be deployed in academic settings to enhance learning and development is a contemporary idea, although it has been realized, thanks to the innovations made since the 1960s. Currently, the game-based instructional method is adopted to help in realizing specific course outcomes such as the concept of multiplication facts under investigation. In the current classroom environment, all learners will be required to have a laptop or an iPad. As Hess and Gunter (2013) reveal, it is crucial to point out that the availability of these gadgets will facilitate the downloading and installing of the required games. The classroom will also be equipped with a projector, which the teacher will use to instruct learners.

The Role of the Teacher and Participants

The teacher in the chosen 4th-grade classroom will use the Reflex game. According to Plass et al. (2015), such a game is sufficient in helping students to learn the art and science of capturing multiple meanings of a single object, in this case, the multiplication of different numbers. As participants, learners will develop a bridge that will enable them to cross a valley that will be in-between two mountains, symbolizing the process of doing multiplication operations. However, the process will be comprised of two stages. In the first stage, students will have the choice of building the bridge or making a stride enough to enable them to cross the valley. However, the subsequent stage will be tougher because they will not have any options available to help in crossing the valley. The first five learners who will successfully cross the valley will be rewarded with a token card as a way of motivating them. Immediately the game will be over, the teacher will direct those who did not realize the set goals to interact with others who have mastered the tricks. Here, they will have another opportunity to continue playing until they reach the other side of the valley through the guidance and facilitation of the tutor.

Technology Tool

The tool suggested in the proposed learning environment is the Reflex game. This tool will be important in facilitating the functioning of my learning environment by enhancing student engagement and consequently performance (Bunz, n.d). Firstly, many students in the 4th grade may not be aware of how to download items using their Internet-aided gadgets. Hence, using the projector, the teacher will first demonstrate how to connect iPads and laptops to the Internet to enable downloading (Franciosi, 2017). Secondly, the tutor will also use the projector to not only show students what the Reflex game tool entails but also demonstrate the application of the underlying rules. According to Tobias, Fletcher, and Wind (2014), the selected tool will help in not only enhancing learners’ understanding of the intended math problems but also will boost their cooperation levels. The study by Harvey-Swanston (2017) emphasizes the role of being equipped with multiplication tactics in aiding learners to develop memorization and recall skills not only in math but also in other course subjects.

The Contribution of the Proposed Learning Environment

According to Moradi (2017), the suggested learning setting will be fruitful since the presence of attention-catching tools is expected to overturn the situation in schools by ensuring that students who complete their third grade join the next level when exceptionally competent in their application of the four basic math functions, especially multiplication. This awareness has been used as the basis for establishing the current game-based math-learning atmosphere. According to Tobias et al. (2014), learners in this learning environment are expected to be highly motivated when performing multiplication operations without any struggles. As a result, teachers in the fourth grade will not have trouble or waste much time repeating what should have been addressed in previous levels. As Plass et al. (2015) assert, in the proposed learning environment, contents installed in the tools mentioned above will be customized to suit the demands of the selected learners. In other words, simple exercises should precede those that may appear complicated to students.

Research Plan

According to Franciosi (2017), evaluating the effectiveness of the learning environment design will involve conducting a baseline examination (pre-testing) whereby learners’ comprehension levels will be gauged before the introduction of the game-based learning. After familiarizing them with the learning strategy for a specified time, say two months, the teacher will introduce another test to determine whether the design has been fruitful or not. Also, accomplishment report forms will be issued indicating that the respective student has completed all the required learning stages.

In addition to revealing whether questions have been handled correctly, the accomplishment report form will also specify the time remaining for the learner to complete the given tasks, including the overall scores. Moreover, the teacher will also advise students to form groups whereby the goal will be to observe their consciousness when performing the given game-based tasks. This strategy will open up group discussions concerning the difficulties encountered and the progress made. As Rave and Golightly (2014) reveal, learners will also enjoy the opportunity of demonstrating their confidence in performing math operations, including any additional expertise gained from the game-playing process.

References

Bunz, R. (n.d). Game-based learning: Benefits, challenges, solutions. Web.

Denham, A., Mayben, R., & Boman, T. (2016). Integrating game-based learning initiative: Increasing the usage of game-based learning within k-12 classrooms through professional learning groups. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 60(1), 70-76.

Franciosi, S. (2017). The effect of computer game-based learning on FL vocabulary transferability. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 20(1), 123-133.

Harvey-Swanston, R. (2017). “I was good at my times-tables when I was nine, now I can’t remember them”: Learning multiplication facts with conceptual understanding. Mathematics Teaching, (259), 20-22.

Hess, T., & Gunter, G. (2013). Serious game-based and nongame-based online courses: Learning experiences and outcomes. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(3), 372-385.

Longo, M. (2013). The 1970s. Laboratory Equipment, 50(3), 16-17.

Moradi, R. (2017). The effect of educational computer games on learning of mathematics concepts among students with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health, 19(2), 90-95.

O’Connell, S., & SanGiovanni, J. (2011). Mastering the basic facts in multiplication and division. Portsmouth, UK: Heinemann.

Plass, J., Homer, B., & Kinzer, C. (2015). Foundations of game-based learning. Educational Psychologist, 50(4), 258-283.

Rankin, J. (2015). From the mainframes to the masses: A participatory computing movement in Minnesota education. Information & Culture, 50(2), 197-216.

Rave, K., & Golightly, A. (2014). The effectiveness of the rocket math program for improving basic multiplication fact fluency in fifth grade students: A case study. Education. Summer, 134(4), 537-547.

Tobias, S., Fletcher, D., & Wind, A. (2014). Game-based learning. In J. M. Spector et al. (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 485-503). New York, NY: Springer Science+Business Media.

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