Concept Three

Changing our group topic in week five to Gaming in Learning encouraged me to further research other avenues of gaming that can be incorporated into the curriculum. As we have already discussed and researched our students are digital natives and use technologies on a daily basis. As my experience has been based on Commercial off the shelf games I wanted to research a game that had been written and developed with the classroom in mind. Through research I found an online game called Lure of the Labyrinth.

Lure of the Labyrinth provides students with a variety of ways to be creative, ethical, confident and enterprising as outlined in the Draft Shape of the Australian Technologies Curriculum (2012), whilst incorporating core curriculum learning. The game is based on Mathematics and English.  Ethical behaviour can be taught in conjunction with the game as there is a function where students can communicate. This is another essential component of student learning to assist with life and career skills (Partnership For 21st Century Skills, 2011).

When I began researching Lure of the Labyrinth I involved my children to see what their approach to the game was and what aspects of learning could be developed. One of the first games they worked in was based on times tables. I have struggled for years trying to engage them in a variety of ways to learn timetables. When this aspect of the game surfaced the interaction I witnessed was unbelievable, they were able to approach the game with no fear, applied their prior knowledge and did not complain they were doing times tables. They were the ones that made the connection, yelling out; “this is just like doing timetables.” Working collaboratively they solved mathematical problems and read the story in the form of a comic. Using this technological tool in a collaborative environment that incorporates Mathematics and English was a rewarding and fun experience with my own children. This form of educational gaming has hooked me in wanting to incorporate gaming into my teaching.

Gaming provides a different and varied approach to learning in the classroom. Garrick & Keogh (2010) promote the need for teachers to create a supportive classroom, recognise difference and cater for all students. Many middle years’ students disengage in learning and school (Garrick & Keogh, 2010). Therefore incorporating a variety of teaching methods including gaming will gain interest of students and result in engagement and students wanting to learn.

Link for LA1 video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwe-AwGlMDk&feature=youtube_gdata&noredirect=1

References

Garrick, B. & Keogh, J. (2010). Differentiated learners. In Pendergast, D., & Bahr, N. (Eds.), Teaching Middle Years: Rethinking curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (2nd ed.). (pp. 68-85). Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Partnership For 21st Century Skills. (2011). Framework for 21st Century. Retrieved from Learninghttp://www.p21.org/overview/skills-framework

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2012). Draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Technologies. Retrieved from http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Draft_Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum_Technologies_paper_-_March_2012.pdf