Daniel McKeown looks into a partnership between UK and Indian schools for computer gaming
Hard-pressed teachers looking for educational resources could do a lot worse than drop into their local Gamestation shop, according to a new project from the British Council.
Unbox21 is a project involving 40 Indian and 15 UK schools, which will examine the use and potential of commercial video games in education, as opposed to games specifically designed for educational purposes.
The British Council, which hosted a launch event, is partnered in the project by the Indian Government and various education partners in the UK.
Video games more effective for pupil engagement
Derek Robertson of Education Scotland has pioneered the adoption of commercial video games in the classroom, and he gave a presentation at the launch. Using popular games in the classroom is a more effective tool for pupil engagement, he said.
“I'm using games that are commercially available, that are off the shelf, that children choose to play. I've got a real suspicion of the 'edutainment' games that have prevailed in schools for a number of years. Children don't choose to play these games – they'll go home and they'll play the real stuff.”
Derek Robertson gave examples of the educational use of commercial games from a range of manufacturers, including classes of children improving their maths scores via the popular Dr Kawashima's Brain Training on the Nintendo DS handheld games device (many schools in England and further afield are now taking this up following success in Scotland).
A particular point in favour of games is that they remove the stigma from discussing learning. He spoke of the 'collegiate' atmosphere that develops in schools where he has seen computer games used as an educational tool: “They peer-assess and peer-support, without our intervention, to help them get better. If that's not learning, I truly don't know what is.”
Derek Robertson also lamented the tendency of many teachers to be wary of ICT in the classroom, and said that they should have more confidence in the technical skills they develop at home.
“How many of them have navigated the Ryanair website when they're booking their holidays? That's an incredibly complex scenario,” he observed. “I think there's a possible disconnect between how teachers view technology for their job to help enhance learning, and how they might use that in their everyday lives.”
Shift required for emphasis on technology in the classroom
Researcher Tim Rudd, of the University of Brighton, spoke about the need for a fundamental shift in the emphasis on technology in the classroom. “Sometimes in schools, given the structures, given the assessment systems, we're limiting the possibilities," he said.
"I would argue, personally, that the last government talked a lot about transformation, brought a lot of technology in, but did little to change the structures.”
Tim Rudd also emphasised the importance of the Unbox 21 project and the need for more serious research into the use of commercial games in the classroom. The educational impact of games in the classroom can often be difficult to gauge because such initiatives are often coloured by a degree of "techno-romanticism" on the part of the innovators.
In case anyone was in any doubt about the efficacy of gaming for learning, neuroscientist Dr Paul Howard-Jones was on hand to share what his research had uncovered about computer games. In short, they produce extremely strong reactions from gamers, and this can be harnessed for good. Although a lot more research needs to be done, he said that computer games exert a "special" influence on the brain. There was nothing to be alarmed about, he said, but it would require new thinking and new pedagogy.
Rittika Parruck of the British Council spoke of some of the factors to be considered in transferring the commercial games educational model to India: "First of all, they have to be very cheap because the numbers in India are so large. In the UK, you can be like 'Oh, that only costs a hundred pounds.' In India, that's a lot of money
"The second is the mindset of the educational community, the teachers and so on, and whether they will actually see value in it – I think sometimes they're resistant to the idea that learning can be fun!"
Unbox21will be working to provide professional development opportunities for teachers on how games can be embedded into classroom practice and will support development of those difficult to develop 21st century skills for all students in current education settings.
More information
To find out more about Unbox21, contact Baldev Singh of Imagine Education – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
This positive appraisal shows my colours. Despite my enthusiasm I still find it hard to beat IF (interactive fiction) for powerful learning, thinking and literacy skill development. Almost all titles are free, IF titles are available on all devices and the editor platforms are Open Source. Reading and writing and coding anyone? http://www.kristianstill.co.uk/wordpress/2009/01/28/the-battle-for-newerth/
Amazon Kindle fire will cost £200 and have access to free game apps, and other cheaper usable Tablets are on the way. Schools have to have IT that is sustainable and every ounce of value is extracted out of it. It's hard to make the case for pure gaming machines rather than gaming as an activity based on existing devices.