eLearning Manifesto - 20 Supporting Principles

The Key to Success?

"We believe that learning technology offers the possibility for creating uniquely valuable learning experiences.

We also believe, with a sense of sadness and profound frustration, that most elearning fails to live up to its promise.

We further believe that current trends evoke a future of only negligible improvement in elearning design—unless something radical is done to bend the curve."

This is the preamble to the eLearning Manifesto (http://elearningmanifesto.org/) put together by Michael Allen, Julie Dirksen, Clark Quinn and Will Thalheimer. 

They set out 20 supporting principles:

• Do Not Assume that Learning is the Solution
• Do Not Assume that eLearning is the Answer
• Tie Learning to Performance Goals
• Target Improved Performance
• Provide Realistic Practice
• Enlist Authentic Contexts
• Provide Guidance and Feedback
• Provide Realistic Consequences
• Adapt to Learner Needs
• Motivate Meaningful Involvement
• Aim for Long-term Impact
• Use Interactivity to Prompt Deep Engagement
• Provide Support for Post-Training Follow-Through
• Diagnose Root Causes
• Use Performance Support
• Measure Effectiveness
• Iterate in Design, Development, and Deployment
• Support Performance Preparation
• Support Learner Understanding with Conceptual Models
• Use Rich Examples and Counterexamples
• Enable Learners to Learn from Mistakes
• Respect Learners

I agree with the above principles as they, in part, overlap with my games based learning manifesto (http://www.games-based-learning.com/2013/10/a-games-based-learning-manifesto-10_11.html). They also have a venn-like link to a blog I wrote regarding Marrying up to Situated Learning Theory  (http://www.games-based-learning.com/2012/10/marrying-up-to-theory.html)

Here is a video where the four announced their manifesto:

Oh and for balance, it is worth not everyone appreciates the top down approach to defining a manifesto. Have read of Donald Clark Plan B  (http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.in/2014/03/gang-of-four-proclaim-serious-elearning.html) . And here is another cutting and funny parody (http://www.eqsim.com/blog/?p=413) from EqSim Ruminations. The latter makes some interesting generalised criticisms of e-Learning industry, which are valid in their own way and is probably the reason I have focused most of my efforts on learning simulation for the last decade. 

In conclusion, I think well designed e-Learning and simulations/games both have their place BUT what is key is making sure that they are learner focused and they deliver against the required needs and outcomes. And not lets crow bar in an ill-fitting solution that is simply about cutting costs.

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Part 1 - The 70/20/10 Learning Model and Games Based Learning

The 70/20/10 Learning Model is based on research published by M. Lombardo and R. Eichinger in 1996.  It is a popular Learning and Development Model about how successful managers learn.  It essentially says that 70% of learning takes place on the job, informally, through experience.  20% is learnt from others through feedback, coaching, mentoring and so on and 10% is from formal learning, from courses, training and reading.

Image courtesy of blogefl (Graham
Stanley) on Flickr

Jobs in the 21st century are changing.  Employers want employees who are quick learners and who are adaptable, as the world is increasingly fast-paced and dynamic.  However, as Harold Jarche noted, work is becoming learning and learning is becoming part of work and employers appreciate this.  Many employers recognise that in a knowledge economy, their employees are their greatest resources, so learning and development is in their best interest.  Corporates are also more likely to have loyal, hardworking staff if they treat them well and allow them to grow and develop as much as possible.  But how does learning take place?

According to the theory, employees learn most on the job rather than in formal courses.  This makes sense.  In most cases, you are more likely to be able to learn about the job from being in the workplace, learning from colleagues and trying things for yourself than in a degree or other formal training.  Many degrees are centred around theories, readings and research more than practical, job-related skills (with the exception of a few, such as medicine etc.).  You are also not that likely to get a book or course that is specifically matched to your job role, as most roles and companies are different.

This begs the question that if 70% of learning at work is through experience and only 10% occurs through formal training, why (in the UK at least) are we sending so many students through university?  Why are we not instead looking more at apprenticeship schemes and the like?  But, I’m getting ahead of myself, that’s more of a point for Part 2 – The 70/20/10 Learning Model: Lessons for Education.

How else do managers learn?  The model states that 20% of learning takes place from others through coaching, mentoring, feedback, working cooperatively and so on.  The final 10% is formal training.  But what does this have to do with games based learning?

Games can be played informally for fun; however, this doesn’t mean they are void of value.  Many games develop skills that can be valuable in the workplace.  These are often softer skills, such as problem solving, cooperation, time management and multi-tasking (see our post, ‘21st Century Skills and Games Based Learning').  Other skills can be developed too though, which could be useful for jobs, such as hand eye coordination for surgeons (see the link at the bottom of our article, ‘Games are Good for You!’).

However, games can also be used as formal training.  pixelfountain (who bring you this blog) design, develop and deliver learning simulations for adult learners in the workplace.  We specialise in developing learning simulations to be used in collaborative workshops.  Our simulations typically simulate a community, university, company and so on and the group is split into teams that must collaborate and cooperate to improve the community etc and reach their goals.  While these simulations are used formally, at away days, on courses, for strategy development and so on, they also tap into the 20% and 70%.

Firstly, they are simulations, so they go some way at simulating a situation or event that is similar to the delegates’ work.  This allows them to experience these situations in a safe environment.  This is important as you can allow learning to take place in ways that you could not in real life.  For example, if the group is in charge of a town in the game and you want them to learn about what to do in the event of a flood, riot, budget cut etc., it is much easier and more ethical to do this in a game than in real life.  The armed forces, pilots and so on are trained using simulations for this very reason.  While this is still formal training, it is simulating a work environment and the delegates are learning through experience.

Our learning simulations are also designed to be used collaboratively in a workshop setting.  The facilitator is the only person who uses the computer and the delegates see the simulation on a large screen or whiteboard.  They must work within and between their groups, with the help of worksheets, to reach their goals.  The collaborative nature of our workshops mean that people can share wisdom, learn from each other, network, give each other feedback, negotiate and so on.  This is an incredibly powerful way of learning and is why our innovative take on training, learning simulations and workshops is so popular.

Working with new colleagues in an authentic yet relaxed manner is often cited by delegates at pixelfountain workshops as a key benefit of the approach.  These relationships can be built upon post workshop particularly with communications technology such as Yammer or Wiztango.  These and other corporate social media tools provide a perfect method to bridge the potential 70/20/10 gap.

Hopefully, I’ve explained the Model to you and shown its relevance to games based learning.  In Part 2, I’ll look at what we could learn from the 70/20/10 Learning Model in terms of education.

Lombardo, Michael M; Eichinger, Robert W (1996). The Career Architect Development Planner (1st ed.). Minneapolis: Lominger.

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Marrying up to Situated Learning Theory

This final part of the series uses Herrington & Oliver’s ideas (described in the first part of this series) as a design checklist for our product Sustainaville.

Authentic Context
The Interface must map to the situation where the authentic activity would normally take place.  In addition, the learning should be complex and sufficiently large in scope to provide realism when problem solving.

In Sustainaville, learners are presented with a dynamic screen that shows the virtual community changing. The game play itself maps to the real world as learners play the role of decision makers (sub-teams in the overall game) in a virtual community.

Feedback from primary school students:

• “It is harder than I thought to run a town.” 
• “When you could see the town from the past years how it changed.”
• “Sometimes there is a disaster that you don’t know.” 

Over the workshops there was also between 67% and 88% improvement in understanding of sustainable development.

Authentic Activities
Along with an authentic context, the programme should enable learners to participate as though they are the experts.  It is through simulated authentic activity that the learner becomes immersed in the process of learning.

In Sustainaville learners are assigned objectives. They have to develop strategy, deal with incidents, make decisions on how to use resources and negotiate with other sub-teams.  These authentic activities and context interplay to produce a rich learning environment.

Feedback from primary school students:

• “It was like you were a proper business man.”
• “I liked making the decisions on what to buy and how much to buy.”
• “I will take away… planning, working together, making the right decisions.”

Over the workshops there was around a 57% improvement in decision-making skills.

Modelling of Processes and Expert performance
At the core of games-ED products sits the algorithm. It is the algorithm that fires out numbers in response to delegates’ decisions. Purchases in the game alter parameters, which in turn alter other parameters. The algorithm and the interface / activities that surrounds it represent the model of the reality. The algorithm is developed with the aid of desk research and interaction with subject matter experts.

Multiple roles and perspectives 
A situated learning environment provides the learner with the opportunity to investigate multiple roles and perspectives.  Roles and perspectives are brought to the fore in Sustainaville by the placing of delegates into sub-teams. Each sub-team has its own report (perspective), but at the same time the whole group is scored collectively (big picture). These sub-teams need to work together to achieve the overall goal (a constructed understanding). It is this pluralism of thought that the learners need to balance to gain a fuller understanding.

Feedback from primary school students when asked ‘what key learning messages will you take away?’:

• “That when your managing somewhere you need to make sure people are happy and that little things can be very important.”
• “That people have harder jobs than I thought.”
• “We need to keep the environment healthy and public transport is better than cars.”

Collaboration
From the perspective of the situated learning theory, the decision to run Sustainaville as a whole class exercise rather than as standalone software makes sense and adds real value to the experience of learning. The sub-teams need to work together as one team and it is those that do so, that go on to post high scores.

Feedback from primary school students:

• “I liked that we worked together to make the community good.”
• “I liked it when we had to work in a group and play a game to improve the area.”
• When asked ‘what key learning messages will you take away?’: “Work together, make group decisions.”

There was between a 41% and 61% improvement in group working after playing the game.

Game collaboration can have wider benefits. “Social interactions and relationships were seen by some of the interviewed teachers as having been positively enhanced by game-based learning activities in the classroom.” Ben Williamson, Futurelab 2009.

Reflection
A situated learning environment should allow learners to reflect upon a much broader base of knowledge to solve problems. The game anchors the discussion, but the delegates are encouraged to share experiences and knowledge. At the end of the session and after each round, the class is asked to think about the experience from different points of view. The learners are encouraged to build abstractions. Follow-on exercises, either completed as homework or in the next class, allow the learners to further consolidate their understanding and reflect on what they have learned.

A pupil from one workshop responded on his questionnaire that he would like “To do this in citizenship lessons.”

Articulation
Dialogue and articulation of knowledge occurs amongst learners (sub-teams), at the class level and can be educator-led. These conversations, not the technological interactions, should account for the majority the lesson.  In a workshop, the educator’s role is to encourage debate. A key question, as the learners’ decisions are keyed into the simulation is, “so what were you thinking when you made those choices?” The group can be encouraged with, “so what do the rest of you think about that?”

The learners often go through a process of transformation and feel able to participate in a way they could not have dreamed of before.  This is in part because of the inclusive nature of the exercise, but also because democratising nature of the game - games have a leveling effect: prior knowledge is only partially useful and game format may allow previously disengaged or under performing students to succeed.

A class teacher observing one workshop commented: “The children were fully engaged for all the session and the ‘buzz’ in the room was one of real active learning”.

Feedback from a primary school student when asked ‘what key learning messages will you take away?’: “How to discuss and think about decisions.”

Coaching and scaffolding
‘Many designers of interactive multimedia believe their programs should be self-contained ... Situated learning sees the teacher’s role in coaching – observing students, offering hints and reminders, providing feedback, scaffolding and fading, modeling, and so on – as integral to the learning situation’ (Herrington and Ron Oliver, 1995).

The role of the educator in Sustainaville is crucial. The teacher acts rather like the conductor in a orchestra, keeping the process flowing and providing scaffolding and stimulus as and when required.  The educator plays the role of the expert, as described in traditional situated learning. To enable the educator to do so, the software supports them. Contextual help is provided, by clicking on screen elements, to enable the educator to discover what makes up the particular element and its current value in the game.

A teacher overseeing one workshop commented: “the children were able to work [the purchase items] out with peer support or asked for clarification from an adult”.

Integrated assessment
Rather than considering the assessment as an add-on to the course, it should be integrated into learning itself.  Integration should not merely be a case of placing multiple choice questions within the learning sequence, instead the learning and assessment is one and the same thing, creating an authentic experience.

The score in Sustainaville is a highly motivating device. The decisions that the delegates make are fed into the algorithm and the score is fired out each round as the team endeavors to make the community a better place.

The in-game reports can be exported for analysis by the educator and to provide the basis for follow-on reflective / extension work. The reports are aligned to the curriculum, so that they can provide part of the evidence base for broader assessment.

A teacher overseeing one workshop commented: “[The children] were genuinely interested to see the impact their purchases had made on the town. They were disappointed to see the results/consequences of their purchases in Year 2 and were keen to rectify them in Year 3!”

Feedback from primary school students:

• “I liked finding out what score you got at the end and looking at the improvements.”
• “It was very fun and you learnt a lot.  It was great being in charge of the town and seeing what the result was.”

I hope you enjoyed this series!  We thought we had better show some practical evidence of the benefits of games based learning after so much theory.

Don't forget to like games-ED on Facebook and Google+ and follow @PaulLadley on Twitter for blog updates and interesting things we find while poking around the internet.  You can also now follow us on Pinterest.

Neuroscience, Stress and Games Based Learning

This blog is going to be a bit ambitious and is much about getting my thoughts down, as sharing ideas with others. I am currently listening to “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” and some of its ideas got me thinking about games based learning; in particular stress and its impact learning acquisition and flow, self-mastery and retention of knowledge.

Renowned psychiatrist  John J. Ratey’s book  delves into neuroscience to explain the transformative effects of exercise on the brain. The book includes chapters on the beneficial effects of exercise on Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit, Addiction, Hormonal Changes, Aging and Learning. I won’t give too much away, but on learning he cites an example of a revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this school district first in the world for science and sixth for mathematic based on internationally recognised testing methods. These results put the school significantly above the US average.

"I need a break, or do I?"

There is a huge amount of interesting material in the book, but one particular point about stress got me thinking about what I have experienced in workshops and about how games based learning could be achieving some of its learning outcomes.

According to Ratey, stress works at a fundamental level in the brain. It is linked to the ‘fight or flight’ response. Stress focuses the brain martialling resources for immediate use. Adrenaline kicks in, increasing heart rate and dilating bronchial tubes to allow more oxygen to get to the muscles.  Two neurotransmitters put the brain on alert: neoroprenephrine arouses attention then dopamine sharpens and focuses it. Cortisol takes over from adrenaline to allow more glucose to be freed up for the brain.

Too much stress can overwhelm us, and inhibit learning and performance, but a little can be beneficial.  For example, mild stress before going on stage ramps up chemicals in the brain, which means the brain becomes more focused and performance improves.

Ratey states that people suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Didorder (ADHD) can sometimes be seen as stress junkies, but they are probably using stress as a mechanism to achieve focus. He also suggests engendering stress is a primary focus of procrastination. We only can get motivated and focused when the stress has ramped up to the required level.

So what as this specifically got to do with my experiences of  games based learning at games-ED and using learning simulations at pixelfountain. Well, at the start of our workshops, learners are often stressed as they are asked to quickly learn the rules of a game. This usually takes around ten to fifteen minutes, as we design the game rules to be simple so that it doesn't take too long for the learners to get into the learning. But maybe this initial ‘out of their comfort zone’ experience is not a hurdle to quickly jump over; it could actually be an integral part of the learning process. The stress could be putting the learners’ brains in a more attentive and thus receptive frame of mind to take on new information (build synaptic links).

In fact in our adult workshop, it has often been delegates that have struggled the most at the start that have raved the most at the end. I can think of one specific workshop, where a woman in a local council said, “I have only just learned Monopoly, how do you expect me to do this.”  At the end of the workshop, she was praising the games based learning approach and stated that everyone in the council should do it.

We have thought of this turnaround as a journey that these individuals go through, and that this experience means they feel the need to talk about it. I think this is probably still the case, but maybe the initial stress has focused their brain, meaning they have learned a lot more as a result.  This would make sense, as these individual are recommending the process in terms of “this is the best training I have done and everyone should do it”.

Furthermore, the stress of dealing with challenges could be the biological mechanism behind learning flow. The mild stress enables the individual to keep going and discover more. In our games designs we include incidents, so that in later rounds of the simulations, learners have an extra challenge. We do this to increase realism and to spice things up a little. But, maybe we have inadvertently designed games that keep stressing the learners a little in order that they learn a lot. The games based challenges generate learning flow.

The idea of a learning journey is powerful. The initial stress and challenges along the way, enables the individual to achieve a degree of self-mastery. And in doing so, learners feel good about themselves. They have earned that pat on the back. I think that this presents a fantastic way to motivate learners.  So, games could offer up an opportunity to create a “learning arc”, where learning can be seen in terms of beginning, middle and end with crises along the way building to a learning climax.

The stress response goes beyond generating focus and providing an opportunity for self-mastery; it can help with the process of learning and memory. A bit more neuroscience courtesy of Ratey . The stress response elevates cortisol, hypothalamic corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and neoroprenephrine. These agents enable glutamate to be boosted which in turn speeds up the flow of information to the hippocampus and changes the dynamic at the synapses. Cortisol turns on genes inside cells which make proteins that are used to build up the very structure of the brain and solidify the memory.  Put simply, stress improves learning and memory. But, there is a downside.  Too much cortisol can have a negative impact on memory and is probably the reason why when people are severely stressed they do not learn very well. “Everything in moderation” works for the brain as well.

And they all lived happily ever after.

We have gathered a huge amount of feedback from delegates and have conducted long-term evaluation on a number of large regional programmes. Delegates have talked about accelerated learning of complex subjects and that long-term changes have occurred in their organisation. These may have occurred because games based learning and specifically simulations provide high quality learning, but possibly stress has played its part in focussing delegates brains and forging strong memories and learning. This could also be why Games Based Situated Learning is such a powerful learning theory and approach.

As I said at the start of this blog post, these are ideas that are very fresh in my mind. Hopefully, I have got them down in a coherent manner. Over the next weeks and months, I may pick up on the idea of mild stress being an enabler for generating focus, flow, allowing the opportunity for self-mastery and improving the efficiency of learning and memory. Alternatively, I may bin the whole concept. Possibly, because it doesn’t stack up or probably because it makes my brain hurt!

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If you want to know more about John J Ratey ideas on learning then grab a copy of his book, and you can also find information on his blog “Exercise Revolution” or on his website.

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If you have got this far in the blog you may also be interested in the work we do at pixelfountain on Organisational Transactional Analysis.

Six Key Principles of Collaborative Games Based Learning

1. Create a sense of realism (as opposed to fantasy):

• Provide relevant context that draws the learners into an authentic experience / scenario, so they become part of the learning as opposed to passive recipients.

2. Deliver engaging interaction by means of authentic activities (not just playing for the sake of it).

• Game playing can be a springboard for skills and knowledge, but better still game playing can be the development and practice of skills and knowledge.

3. Group level game play where the goal is collaborative problem solving (as opposed to single player games):

• The learning is inclusive and the game easy to understand, to ensure that everyone participates.

4. Provide an anchor for multiple learning conversations:

• These conversations not the technological interactions should account for the majority the lesson.  
• Dialogue and articulation of knowledge occurs amongst learners (sub-teams), at the class level and can be educator-led. 
• The educator provides a crucial role, rather like the conductor in an orchestra, keeping the process flowing and providing scaffolding and stimulus as and when required.  

5. The technology and design needs to be appropriate:

• The use of a single computer makes the games appropriate for all teaching situations.
• Round-based play allows for natural break points to enable group and reflective learning.
• The teacher uses the computer so that the learning flows and the game doesn't become an exercise in ICT skills.
• The interface, game play and technology need to play second fiddle to the learning. Time spent moving around an interface or world, might add to the contextualisation, but it can also reduce the amount of time spent actually learning. One of the key problem of commercial games is they can take too long to get into.

6. The game needs to work in a learning continuum:

• Games need to be integrated into the curriculum.
• Game play and scores need to feed into an assessment model.
• The games need to inspire follow on activities / exercises and encourage reflection. 

This post is taken from a section in our white paper Games Based Situated Learning which can be found on the resource page of our corporate website.

Games Based Situated Learning

Let there be light...

After my previous tongue in cheek post on Bill Gates and his funding for games based learning, I thought I would write a more serious summary article of our white paper Games Based Situated Learning, which (by-the-way) can be found on the resource page of our corporate website.

Games based learning, if it is to succeed, needs to be more than a bit of fun that motivates students and needs to be underpinned with learning theory. Measuring outcomes such as fun, engagement, and motivation generates buy-in, to a certain degree, but it provides no guiding principles for designers and educators (teachers/ lecturers). Situated Learning provides such a theoretical underpinning, and while some have argued that game simulation stretches the original basis of Situated Learning, the consensus is in favour of viewing GBL from such a perspective. Games Based Situated Learning (GBSL) moves away from the pure “apprentice model” of learning but it still stays true to the key tenets with little modification, as shown below:

• Information must be given in authentic simulated context.
• Learning must take place within social interaction and collaboration.

In terms of authentic activity, simulation maybe as close as it is possible to get to the real thing.  It is not just emergency training where simulation provides the only option; for example, it is only through simulation that young people are going to experience many scenarios. Logistical and cost barriers exist, but time is a key problem. Games can compress time and can simulate events in a different period.

A well designed simulation that has been modeled on expert knowledge, which offers collaborative learning in the form of blended delivery provides a powerful experience that does not merely engage the learner, a benefit in its own right, but anchors the learning process by contexualising it with ‘real’ scenarios.

Herrington and Oliver, who have written extensively on situated learning and multimedia, suggest that to marry up to the theory, programmes need to:

• Provide authentic context.
• Provide authentic activities.
• Embed expert performances and model processes.
• Provide multiple roles and perspectives.
• Support collaborative construction of knowledge.
• Provide coaching and scaffolding.
• Promote reflection to enable abstractions to be formed.
• Promote articulation to enable tacit knowledge to be made explicit.
• Provide for integrated assessment.

Much of the criticism of games based learning, and there is some, is levelled a commercial games that have been used “as is” or have been slightly modified. Purpose built games should not suffer from flaws such has being more about fun than understanding and not linking to the curriculum, but developers need to think seriously about the logistical issues of educational usage. Games need to modified / designed to work in classroom both in terms of content, in terms of time and technology. Are those fancy 3D graphics and soundtrack necessary? Do they add to the learning? Will they run on school computers? If the game is a standalone game, then it will require a trip to the IT suite. And if does, can we truly say that games are being used in the classroom?

Our games-ED products have been developed from GBSL perspective. The games can be described as resource management games. They are played in classroom environment on a single computer by the whole class. The games narrative is structured around a relevant context such as a community – they are situated. The class is spit into sub-teams that have to collaborate to achieve common goals such as improving the community.

Our experience with games-ED has shown us that if educators are to take a leap of faith, then games based learning developers need to meet them halfway. Developers cannot expect decades of good teaching practice to be thrown away. To this end Games Based Situated Learning supports the evolution of teaching and not require a revolution.

Next time I will outline six key principles of collaborative games based learning.

Further Reading  

• Jan Herrington and Ron Oliver (1995). Critical Characteristics of Situated Learning: Implications for the Instructional Design of Multimedia
• Jan Herrington and Ron Oliver (1997). Multimedia, magic and the way students respond to a situated learning environment.
• Jan Herrington and Ron Oliver (2000). Towards a New Tradition of Online Instruction: Using Situated Learning Theory to Design Web-Based Units

The Art of Conversation

If Elvis had been singing about games based learning, he might have demanded, ”a little less action, a little more conversation”.

The history of the introduction of new mediums is littered with the belief that they kill the art of conversation. Those “halcyon” days when the family gathered around the piano and the men retired for port and conversation have “sadly” gone (as it happens, I would have worked down the pit or in the mill). It is argued that the likes of TV and more recently computer games have put another nail in the coffin of conversation, but I disagree.

New mediums can act as conversational anchors, like the fact that people can chat about Eastenders or Corrie at work the next day. Soap operas offer viewers the opportunity to put the actions and interactions of human beings into perspective, both socially and culturally (Brunsdon, 1997; Gillespie, 1995; Liebes & Katz, 1990). Games can also do this.

Even individually played games can generate conversations. “Have you seen this?” “How did you do that?” We have seen this in action: We have delivered two programmes, involving seven schools, using two different individually played games. These classes were far from quiet! And it also worth noting that “individual” games were often played by pairs of pupils, as they preferred to work this way.

Collaborative games, though, take conversations onto a different level. With our games-ED products the gameplay is structured around rounds and phases to encourage conversation. The learners talk in their teams, between teams, at a class level and with the educator. The game anchors these conversations allowing a natural set of questions (shown below) to flow during the course of the plan > do > review phases. These conversations are at the heart of the learning; they are inclusive and are not formalised / one-way. It is through these questions that learning flows. Together the class constructs their understanding, and makes tacit knowledge (emotions, experiences, insights, intuition, observations and internalised information) explicit.

Games can be action packed and so engaging, but it is their ability to anchor conversations that provides the key to their success in the classroom. They also provide a collaborative framework that suits both boys and girls, which I think would make a good starting point for my next blog.

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Brunsdon, C. (1997). Screen Tastes: soap opera to satellite dishes. London: Routledge
Gillespie, M. (1995). Television, ethnicity and cultural change. London & New York: Routledge
Liebes, T. and Katz, E. (1990). The export of meaning: cross cultural readings of Dallas. New York: Oxford University Press

Learn by Doing AND Learn by Being

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

- Confucius

Games Based Situated Learning

Clearly doing is an important aspect of learning and one that is often unappreciated. A robust Games Based Situated Learning Model, though, goes beyond doing. It needs to encapsulate the beingness of a situation.

Games Based Situated Learning is a constructivist learning theory. Learners are immersed in a situation that allows them to explore different perspectives. Indeed, in our games based learning programmes, the whole class play one game, with different sub-teams taking on different roles. The sub-teams need to be true to their mission, but they truly succeed when they negotiate and collaborate to deliver shared goals.

Our Games Based Situated Learning model is built on the interaction of Learn by Doing AND Learn by Being. Plus, it recognises that games need to allow for reflection, that learners need input from teachers and that games need to support assessment. 

1. Learn by Doing (Skills):

• Actions, activity, engagement, team working and so on.

2. Learn by Being (Knowledge):

• Environment, values, attitudes, society, diversity, culture and so on.

3. Reflection, Support and Assessment:

• Learners need to able to reflect and make tacit knowledge explicit. They need to be able to build abstractions.
• Educators (experts) need to guide and nudge learners as and when required.
• Assessment should be built into the programme to provide immediate feedback, but also to stimulate further learning. 

It is through the interaction of the three different aspects of the Games Based Situated Learning Model utilised within games-ED products that wide ranging benefits and learning outcomes are generated.

Recognition of Herrington and Oliver
Note: The above model builds on the work of Herrington and Oliver, who have written extensively on situated learning and multimedia. They suggested that to marry up to the theory, programmes need to:

• Provide authentic context.
• Provide authentic activities.
• Embed expert performances and model processes.
• Provide multiple roles and perspectives.
• Support collaborative construction of knowledge.
• Provide coaching and scaffolding.
• Promote reflection to enable abstractions to be formed.
• Promote articulation to enable tacit knowledge to be made explicit.
• Provide for integrated assessment.

Games Based Learning (GBL): Review of the Research

There has been a lot of interest in the use of games in education. A recent teacher survey shows that:

• 35% of the sample of UK teachers have already used computer games in their teaching
• 60% of teachers would consider using computer games in their teaching in the future. 

In Scotland, Learning Teaching Scotland has promoted games in schools, including funding a games and learning centre for excellence.


“Almost 90% of teachers who used games stated they used games in their teaching “to engage students”. Almost half of teachers used them because they “independently wanted to offer an alternate way of teaching”. 31% were “inspired by other teachers”, while 7% had the idea “suggested by students”. The availability of consoles, publicity and articles has little impact on teachers using games.” NFER Futurelab 2009 survey 


Not everyone, though, is entirely convinced. A report from Becta (2010) provides a cautionary analysis of GBL. It states, “although some teachers are positive about the potential of games for learning, in particular to improve motivation and engagement, there are a number of challenges to introducing games in formal educational settings.” The following bullets outline the issues and puts forward some responses (in blue) based purpose built GBL rather than commercial games, which have so far tended to be the focus of research. 

• The lack of integration of most games with the current curriculum and assessment framework:
• Purpose built GBL should link to the curriculum and assessment framework.
• Annual upgrades can keep them up-to-date.
• Time constraints:
• Games can be designed to fit into standard lesson times.
• Save routines can allow the game play to spill over into a follow-on lesson.
• Technical and logistical issues (cost, licensing, limitations of school computers, technical support):
• Education games needn’t be the all singing dancing, gimmick-laden counterparts of commercial games that require the latest graphic cards.
• Adobe Flash based games can be written without the need to install plug-in and can be quite small in file size provided they are not stuffed with audio and video.
• Lack of teacher skills:
• GBL programs do not need to be overly complicated. Commercial games are complex because need to keep interest over months (to offer value for money) not hours.
• Contextual help can be embedded into the game.
• Not all learners engage with games and many do not see a link between games and learning:
• Purpose built GBL should easily demonstrate link between games and learning. Additional activities should re-enforce the message.
• Teacher and parent concerns over the content of some games (e-safety):
• This really is a problem associated with commercial games rather than purpose built GBL.

Others provide a warning for would be Games Based Learning developers. “The act of placing educational content inside a game does not guarantee that it will succeed in achieving a fun, motivating experience; meeting educational goals; or being a commercial success.” Glenda A. Gunter, Robert F. Kenny and Erik H. Vick (2007)

While GBL may not work in every situation, the potential gains are significant and expansive. Traci Sitzmann & Katherine Ely (2010) in performing a meta analysis of 65 studies and data from 6,476 trainees comparing post-training outcomes for simulation game and comparison groups, discovered that “overall, declarative knowledge was 11% higher for trainees taught with simulation games than a comparison group; procedural knowledge was 14% higher; retention was 9% higher; and self-efficacy was 20% higher.

“The emergence of Games Based Learning is offering the learning and teaching communities new opportunities to reach and motivate hard-to engage learner groups, support differentiated and personalised learning, address vocational and training-based course materials and provide new tools for teaching basic and key skills, science and maths education.” JISC Games Based Learning

The future is here:

“The category of game-based learning that is still two to three years away for schools, but one that has tremendous potential to transform education, includes open-ended, challenge-based, truly collaborative games…These games [develop generic skills and] lend themselves to curricular content, requiring students to discover and construct knowledge in order to solve problems. They are challenging to design well, but the results can be transformative.” Horizon Report, 2010.

Currently we are working on products under the brand games-ED (www.games-ed.co.uk), which achieve the goals set out in the Horizon Report, and they are being used in the classroom now.