Instructional Games: play, learn?, play…..
Discussion: Instructional games are usually drill and practice or simulations that have been embedded into a game platform. Students “play” the game by engaging in the learning activity and then they get a “score” dependent on their performance in the game. Sometimes simulation software is used by the general population as a game. The “Sim” series for example is intended to simulate cities, zoos, amusement parks, etc… and is engaging enough to be considered a game.
Teacher perspective: This is an easy way to get students engaged with learning. If the game is fun enough, students will persist and continue to work until they are successful. Games can also help with classroom management and can be used as a reward for students who finish other work or progress independently. A teacher can also use games to get students to engage with each other.
Student perspective: Yay! Games!
Reality: Everybody likes to play games. The instructional outcome is sometimes debatable. The game may or may not be based in reality and may actually lead to misconceptions. Also, some students like video games more than others. One student might play 1 or 2 iterations of the game and then either give up or feel as though they had been successful enough. A different student might play the game many times trying to find a way to win or get the highest score possible. In each of these cases, the student is probably not getting the intended instructional outcome.
Examples for Physics:
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