Inquiry Project Write-up
Context/Method
Recalling from my own experience, classes are always more intriguing when teachers incorporate game based activities into subject contents. To provide my students with a similar experience, I have decided to use many games in my up-coming practicum. However, I am not confident whether games provide an education purpose aside from purely interesting. To ensure my students receive benefits from playing games, I will base my inquiry project on whether or not games positively aid students’ learning process.
This inquiry topic is important for language arts educators to consider because it is crucial for teachers to use multimodality in the classroom to aid students with different learning styles. Incorporating multimodality in the classroom will also generate a fun learning environment to help students focus and engage with the content materials. For this inquiry, I will be looking into two areas of games: simulation/computer games and kinesthetic games (theater games). The primary method for conducting this inquiry will be reviewing scholarly literatures. I will also consult some books and other outside sources including my own experience in the classroom.
Findings
Simulation/Computer games
There are many academic articles that address to the issue of using simulations/computer games in the classroom. As Katrin Becker suggests, teachers are still hesitant when it comes to using games in a classroom because they are not sure whether games are actually beneficial to students’ learning (2005). To prove that games are beneficial to students’ learning process, she then demonstrated how games are practiced in Gagne and Gardner’s learning theories. Most games well support Gagne’s five categories of learning, as games provide information both verbally and textually, students need to practice intellectual skills to solve problems in games, they use cognitive strategies to win games, and use develop fine motor skills when playing games. Games also support Gardner’s eight categories of strategies related to learning. Games support linguistic learning by providing information verbally and textually; they use music to enhance play and therefore support musical learning; many games require logic and mathematical skills to win, therefore support logical-mathematical learning; spatial learning is supported through the rich and colourful 2- or 3- dimensional environment in games; kinesthetic learning is developed when students physically play the game; many games involve situations where ethical dilemmas are present and have moral (or immoral) themes to enhance intrapersonal learning; games using multiplayer and online modes to support interpersonal learning; and games use naturalistic themes to support naturalistic skills and understanding. Becker also suggested Gardner’s seven levers of change to effect real change in the attitudes of educational institutions towards the use of games for learning. These include: rational reasoning, research, resonance, representational redescription, resources and rewards, real world events, and resistances. Overall, this article clearly identifies the benefits of using simulation/computer games in the classroom. Garris et al. also suggest that games are beneficial in learning (2002). In fact, these scholars have designed an input-process-outcome game model to assist teachers to use games in the classroom. This model includes an input (instructional content and game characteristics), a process (a cycle of user judgments, user behavior, and system feedback), a debriefing process, and learning outcomes. The article explains each component in detail to help teachers understand the whole process. The authors suggest that the debriefing process is the most crucial component because it links game events into learning experiences. During this process, students will recall all events that happened in the game and link them with the real world. Consequently, learning outcomes will result from this process and we have reached the end of the cycle. Similar to Becker’s article, Garris et al. also recognized the benefits of incorporating games into learning. However, there are disadvantages of using games in the classroom. Cruickshank & Telfer suggest that games sometimes require large amounts of time; they are less available than traditional teaching method; they can be expensive; and might lead to failure and frustration (2001). In my opinion, teachers should be aware of these disadvantages when using games in the classroom. However, I think the benefits of using games in learning are far more extensive than the detriments. Therefore, I suggest educators to use games in their classes to provide students with an engaging and meaningful learning environment.
I have also found many advantages of using kinesthetic games in the classroom. In her article, Fennessey suggests that theater games improve the 3 C’s: concentration, confidence, and cooperation (2006). She also believes that theater games are important for EL learners as these games motivate students to use English, therefore improving their fluency and pronunciation. They also help EL learners to develop their social interactive skills as most theater games are performed as a group. Theater games also help students improve nonverbal communication skills, such as facial expression and body language. As Culham suggests in her article, nonverbal communication is extremely important in multicultural and ELL classrooms as it acts as a method of communication among students (2002). Another theatre game in the classroom is Readers Theater. Young and Rasinski argue that Readers Theater positively affect students’ fluency, especially prosody, which is reading with appropriate expressions and reflect semantic and syntactic content (2009). As students are only able to use voice to represent the meaning of the text, Readers Theater is a great tool to help students develop their fluency as well as comprehension of the text. There are also many theater games that I have acquired during this research in which I will be using in my classes during the long practicum. After conducting this project, I am confident that using games in the classroom will not only generate a fun learning environment, but will also help students develop many essential learning skills.
Implications
From reading all researches on this topic, I noticed that games are still not widely accepted as a teaching method. This is partly because little research has been done in this area and many teachers are still concerned about the effectiveness of using games in the classroom. I believe that with a little more recognition and evidence, all content classes should incorporate games in the classroom. I also believe that education is shifting from a traditional approach to a multimodal approach. This implies that games will be widely incorporated as one of the multimodal approaches in the classroom. In language arts classrooms, I believe theater games will promote an engaging learning environment to help students develop their comprehension, fluency, and social interaction skills. In my long practicum, I will be using kinesthetic games in all of my classes to shift the learning environment into something interesting and engaging.
Works Cited
Becker, K. (2005, June). How are games educational? Learning theories embodied in games. In Proceedings of DiGRA 2005 Changing views: Worlds in play International Conference.
Cruickshank, D. R., & Telfer, R. (1980). Classroom games and simulations.Theory into practice, 19(1), 75-80.
Culham, C. R. (2002). Coping with obstacles in drama-based ESL teaching: A nonverbal approach. Body and language: Intercultural learning through drama, 95-112.
Garris, R., Ahlers, R., & Driskell, J. E. (2002). Games, motivation, and learning: A research and practice model. Simulation & gaming, 33(4), 441-467.
Fennessey, S. (2006). Using theater games to enhance language arts learning. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 688-691.
Young, C., & Rasinski, T. (2009). Implementing readers theatre as an approach to classroom fluency instruction. The Reading Teacher, 63(1), 4-13.
Bibliography
Carolyn Cook. (2000). Theater for the everyday classroom.Teaching Pre K – 8, 30(6), 48.
Randel, J. M., Morris, B. A., Wetzel, C. D., & Whitehill, B. V. (1992). The effectiveness of games for educational purposes: A review of recent research.Simulation & Gaming, 23(3), 261-276.
Topper, L. A. (2008). Theater games & activities. (1st ed., pp. 1-143). Colorado Springs: Meriwether Publishing Ltd.