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Computer games should be treated like any other resource to support learning in the classroom, says education innovator Futurelab (www.futurelab.org.uk). Based on a recent one-year research project involving interviews with teachers and children, it has launched a new report, ‘Computer games, school and young people’, alongside a poster, ‘Possibilities for learning with computer games’, containing illustrative, practical examples of how to use games in the classroom setting.
The report reveals that 35% of teachers questioned have already used computer games in the classroom and 60% said that they would consider using them in the future. Teachers already using them considered games as ‘teaching tools’, playing a valuable role in supporting the curriculum and developing the skills and self-confidence of pupils.
One secondary school teacher commented: “I think there are a lot of skills to be gained from game playing. There’s a lot of logical thinking, there’s a lot of planning and generally there’s a lot of team work – and these are things that I’m trying to teach all the time anyway.”
The report goes on to highlight case studies where games are being used in the classroom to great effect – and without the need for changes to the curriculum or the school set-up. Examples include the use of Endless Ocean, a game on the Nintendo Wii which involves becoming a diver and exploring life beneath the sea, to teach science, and Guitar Hero, which is being used to ease pupils’ transition from primary to secondary school.
The poster, available to download for free from the website, provides inspiration and gives practical examples of how practitioners can introduce games into the classroom. Examples cover a range of potential uses: from teaching maths in primary school using Rock Band; to exploring conflict with history-based war games; and addressing citizenship using The Sims.
Ben Williamson, Senior Researcher at Futurelab, commented: “There is a lot of hype around using games in the classroom but the truth is there is no need to treat them as separate from other resources. Games can - and are - being used with the current curriculum effectively. Furthermore, computer games are a part of many children’s lives and so it is important that teachers take them seriously as an influential modern medium that can support learning.”
The ‘Computer games, school and young people’ report and the poster ‘Possibilities for learning with computer games’ can be downloaded for free from www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications-reports-articles/project-reports
For further information
PR: Jenny Brannan, Livewire Public Relations, tel: 020 8339 7440, info@livewirepr.com
About Futurelab – www.futurelab.org.uk
Futurelab is passionate about transforming the way people learn. Tapping into the huge potential offered by digital and other technologies, it is developing innovative learning resources and practices that support new approaches to education for the 21st century.
Working in partnership with industry, policy and practice, Futurelab:
o incubates new ideas, taking them from the lab to the classroom
o offers hard evidence and practical advice to support the design and use of innovative learning tools
o communicates the latest thinking and practice in educational ICT.
