Editorial
The text was originally published in
Education – Technology – Computer Science, Poland, November 2014.
Student As a Player - Projecting Didactic Tools in Early Education and Academic Education
Małgorzata Anna Banasiak and Małgorzata Anna Karczmarzyk, Poland
Malgorzata Anna Banasiak received her PhD at Nicolaus Copernicus University in 2008, since then she is working at the university. Her research focus on teacher education and parent-school realtions. In 2010 she recived European Educational Research Association scholarship for promising young scholars. She presents her research results at international conferences like: ERNAPE- Cyprus, Sweden, Spain, ECER- Finland, IATED- Spain, Rectors Conference- Germany. E-mail: malgorzatabanasiak@gmail.com
Małgorzata Anna Karczmarzyk received her PhD at University of Gdańsk in 2009. Artist and early education expert (gradueted: University of Gdańsk in 2000 and Art. Academy in Gdańsk in 2003). Interdisciplinary scientific interests. Winner of about 30 photo- and painting-exhibitions in Poland and abroad. The conference, art-workshops and lectures participant in Poland, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Pennsylvania, Moldova She is working as the assistant professor at University of Gdańsk from 2003 year. E-mail: wnsmk@univ.gda.pl
Menu
Introduction
Student as a player
Computer games
Board games
Game as activating method
Game as method for student teaching/learning
Conclusions
References
Internet sources
The 1999 reform of Polish educational system involved essential changes in the teaching programmes. The encyclopedic model of gaining knowledge was neglected in favor of the learner activation for innovative actions and creativity. Both in early and academic education the process of making new proposals and programmes based on creative activation of students along with transferring knowledge to them was initiated. Teachers, pedagogues and educators started to create new forms of exercises, tasks, programmes and textbooks, but they omitted such liked and popular form – associated basically with entertainment – which is an educational game.
The modern student – as an individual – is a player. They may sit for hours in front of their computers, getting numerous positive feelings like: enjoinment, amusement, curiosity or excitation. There is nothing more exciting for them than virtual adventure and the world of game that absorbs into its realm not only the youngest ones. Each individual produces not only real worlds around. Most time in life is spent on creating imaginary worlds, both in the form of ideas and dreams. Half of the time is spent sleeping, during which strange adventures, loves and amazing quests are experienced.
The metaphor of modern student (both in school and academic education) as a player may be extended to more general meaning. In such perspective, a game may be defined in reference to Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology. Ambiguous approach of the author to the game itself assumes always some degree of the player’s involvement. In totalitarian institutions, such as, e.g., hospitals or prisons, “unnatural” involvement in a game changes its significance (Jacyno, 1997). The game becomes a purpose for itself, so unreality would be more real than reality. According to Bourdieu, such strong involvement in a game reflects our social life (Jacyno, 1997). The illusion of personal “self” corresponds to both accepting a given role and playing it, as well as to linguistic imitation, which by acceptance influences the individual’s identity. In the same way, the real game “brings up” and educates a child/student. Suitably constructed game can make a player think and generate creative solutions, and not only replay a message passively. The game that absorbs a player so deeply that it makes durable changes in a person may also lead to changes in his or her identity. Therefore, it is possible not only to influence transmission of knowledge, but also to educate and shape some behaviors, thinking and personality patterns. While constructing a game it is worth remembering that is meant to creatively activate a schoolchild or student.
An educational computer game differs basically from traditional education in schools. As Sławomir Koziej writes: computer frequently gives comments on the learner’s decisions by voice messages (.,.) rewards each successfully completed task with praises. It will not react on failures with any mimics or gestures that indicate discontentment, like teachers often do, but it encourages further trials. It will continue, until the child is successful (Koziej, 2008; p.52-25). During such actions the player experiences many emotions, and one of them is optimism of winning, way to success, exceeding one’s abilities. Since in each computer game (unfortunately, not like in real life), a person may be given an extra point of power or intelligence, and may overcome more and more difficult levels. According to Jane McGonigal, games improve: optimism, create joyful productivity and allow using network of contacts by joining an on-line game community (McGonigal, Internet source). Therefore, this way they shape linguistic and social competences. Due to graphic software, impression of reality and continuously advancing technology, like 3D and 5D, the player is absorbed deeper and deeper into virtual reality. Here, he or she has a power, feeling of causation, control, ability to choose and plan. This is how the player’s auto-education process, identity and approach to difficult situations are formed. Due to multiple possibilities to return to a game, action or level, the player learns self-discipline and patience in reaching goals. It suggests very clear analogy to the alternative pedagogy by Maria Montessori. The purpose of this teaching method is to prepare a pupil to an independent life by supporting their potential abilities as well as their own actions. The didactic material is used to make the child independent from adults and to form the child’s personality, especially in reaching self-confidence, skills in analyzing and assessing own actions, developing internal motivation for activity (Guz, 2002; p. 515). Isn’t it the same what is just taught by games? When repeating a stage, another difficulty level, the child learns self-discipline and overcoming their own limitations, what in consequence gives the child feeling of perpetration and belief in themselves. Such unconscious model of auto-education is at the same time shaping the identity that grows as the game is an interesting area for self- development.
Not only computer games may be used for stimulating activity in a child or student, but also board games, when their rules are clear and fair. Although, the board games in Poland are basically identified with those from childhood, there are board games clubs in many cities, where fans can meet and organize some contests or tournaments (Miłuński, Internet source). The games may be divided to: abstract games (e.g., chess, checkers, pick-a-stick), in which there is no specific theme, action or a story, and so called euro games, created with the use of interesting mechanics, with specified view of a given world (Miłuński, Internet source). In such games, you play a specific role like a victorious commander (e.g., Grunwald 1410), a pirate (e.g., Merchandisers and Corsairs), a soldier (e.g., Memoir'44), an explorer (e.g., Journey to the center of the Earth), etc.
Board games are also meant to take a player to another world and show him or her the possibilities that in real life are not so vast. Their purpose is also to provide knowledge on particular era, historical event or to allow creative activity and innovative thinking. Additionally, educational purposes of board games cannot be underestimated. In the opinion of Dominika Galańczuk–Urbańska from the Polish Academy of Sciences (Polska Akademia Nauk), an area for improving efficiency of education is combining education with entertainment, which is edutainment that includes all types of educational games that support logical and strategic thinking, deductive skills, associating facts and using them to resolve problems (Galańczuk-Urbańska, Internet source).
Therefore, both in Poland and in the world use the educational games as educational tools is carried out for many years, studies have supported the effectiveness of educational games in teaching (Siemieniecki, 1990). This type of education, applies to both: primary education and higher education.
According to Edgar Dale’s learning pyramid, most people, as many as 90%, learn by teaching others, 75% in practice through activities, 50% by participation in a discussion group, 30% by presentations, 20% by audio-visual methods, 10% by reading, 5% from lectures. Thus, the activating methods belong to most effective methods of learning. In the subject literature there are many divisions of educational methods. For the needs of this article, we quote division by Franciszek Szlosek who defines teaching methods as: providing (recital, lecture, description, talk); demonstrating (show with elements of experience); programmatic (based on teaching programme, with the use of a book, computer, etc.); practical (designing method, laboratory exercises); problematic (problematic lecture, classic problematic method, activating methods may also be included in the last one) (Szlosek 1995).
The game method proposed in this article belongs to practical methods from the learning pyramid point of view. This is because the player actions allow to remember 75% of information. Moreover, the additional value of the game is a phenomenon of combing teaching and fun. The game frequently becomes a spontaneous way to remember difficult information. Comparing to traditional learning, in which verbalization dominates, game is an attractive alternative that lets remembering difficult and complex things and allows practical perception of “dry” information from books.
Further in this article we present games made by students, which are designed to provide specific knowledge from the range of a given subject, and which also may be an interesting alternative for education at a basic level. The use of games in both academic and early-school education may contribute to the change in traditional working model, e.g., at school or pre-school, and to develop interesting model for e-learning education.
During our activities with college students – future teachers, they construct games for providing knowledge on, for example, arts, psychology or developmental psychology. The students by themselves create a specific game from the scratch on the basis of questions from the material studied at the moment. At such constructed activities, each time new original games are produced, starting from classic board games, through games inspired for example by well-known monopoly, to more advanced games that require knowledge of electronics. The creative power of the students is always surprising. The activities of this type give them opportunity to show their skills and involvement in exercises. Such forms are completed with other creative tasks like: designing of advertising leaflets using the knowledge of the subject, writing a story or poem, making a brain map. Each time the purpose is the same – to inspire the student’s thinking and emotions at the activities, which leads to deeper analysis and better content assimilation. The future teachers learn alternative knowledge sharing methods, and themselves they analyze and learn vast material on the subject. Each group has another idea how to complete the task. At the stage of constructing questions for psychological games, the students remember many important details on the subject. The stage of playing allows to remember more important information and rises extremely important discussions on some disputable questions concerning child development. Each group designs questions based on the same material. Due to this, students enrich their knowledge by playing other games that differ in terms of their content and they revise the studied material.
Other game types that are designed by students involve the games that may be used in the future in their didactic work at a pre-school or elementary school. Computer games, board games, educational books that include basic knowledge of, e.g., the history of art and educational exercises using paintings of Paul Cezanne, Salvador Dali, Vincent van Gogh, Jacek Malczewski, Józef Chełmoński, Pablo Picasso and many others, develop not only the process of reading, excite imagination and creativity, improve mathematical and logical skills, but they also introduce a child to the world of art and culture (Karczmarzyk, 2013).
The appraisal of such activities is very positive, resignation from classic encyclopedism makes the students, as they said themselves, come to activities with interest and curiosity.
In the world, educational games become to be a standard. Polish Internet sites offer many on-line games, e.g., edugames.pl, giercownia.pl, sieciaki.pl, however, for different reasons, including financial and organizational situation of Polish schools, it is required to wait for full use of educational games capabilities. It is different in the United States, where numerous studies of American competitiveness completed in the past few years have emphasized that America’s position in the world depends increasingly on maintaining leadership in technology( Innovate America, The Council on Competitiveness, 2005).
In Poland, we may say, that the teachers are afraid of such self-education by their students, since they may become unnecessary due to such learning form. Is it really true? Is such education type a reason for worries? Aren’t the man’s sensual prostheses, which are new electronic technologies as they are called by Marshall McLuhan, verifying the world anew? People acquire new knowledge and complex skills from game play, suggesting gaming could help address one of the nation’s most pressing needs — strengthening our system of education and preparing workers for 21st century jobs (Pankowska, 2011; p. 59).
However, we must remember that games, both traditional, as well as Internet: are developing many cognitive and social skills, such as problem solving, structuring, , negotiating, discussing, cooperation and competition. Exercise flexibility and fluidity of thought, provide an opportunity for training to innovation (Kruszewski, 1991).
Today, when the technology changes man’s experience and communication, new cognitive consequences and new didactic methods must come out (Pankowska 2011). American researchers from the Arizona State University, leaded by Professor James Paul Gee state that in the world of rapid changes, globalization and Internet, where nothing is predictable, it is needed to get three key skills. First, it is the skill to process information, so the teacher changes from the information supplier into a moderator. Second is a global communication, and third is the skill to manage one’s own learning process. All these competences may be perfectly developed by educational games (Internet source).
That is why, in changing reality we must educate young generations with specific educational system, suitable for functioning and time. This system must be adapted to the characteristics of the present generation, which by some is called Networks Generation (Goban-Klas, 2010), the other e-generation (Gawrysiak, 2009). It turns out that this generation can draw information from several media at the same time, simultaneously perform several different tasks at the same time and simultaneously be in several places at once.
Therefore, future studies on the use of educational games, both at primary and higher, should be based on an analysis of the personality of modern young people and on that basis to propose innovative solutions.
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McGonigal J., Gaming can make a better world, Internet source:
www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html, site visit date: 26.02.12.
Gry planszowe i towarzyskie, Internet source:
www.rebel.pl/e4u.php/1,ModProducts/ShowCategory/728/?1&p=20, site visit date: 20.03.12.
Gry edukacyjne w szkole?, Escola Video E-learning,
www.escola.pl/artykuly/k1,22,o_e-learningu/id,84,gry_edukacyjne_w_szkole.html - site visit date: 17.05.2012
Dwa wymiary edukacji - rozmowa z Filipem Miłuńskim, twórcą gier planszowych, Internet source, www.qlturka.pl , site visit date: 19.03.12.
Please check the How the Motivate your Students course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Building Positive Group Dynamics course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.
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