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GAME-BASED LEARNING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

PORTUGAL

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What is GBL?

“One of the main challenges all teachers share irrespective of the education level and the subject they teach is to mobilise students’ interest and engagement. Game-based learning (GBL) is an attempt to address this challenge and facilitate learning process in a way that respects the students’ cognitive, social and cultural backgrounds while addressing the curriculum standards that they are obliged to attain. This project explores the pedagogy of playful learning using the affordances of digital games across the curriculum of science and humanities subjects taught in primary and secondary schools”.

Call 2019 Round 1 KA2 - Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

KA201 - Strategic Partnerships for school education

FormId KA201-29EC09C5 Deadline (Brussels Time) 26 Mar 2019 12:00:00

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The project aims at promoting game-based learning in schools as a way to enhance curriculum

with motivating content for students.

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GENERAL OBJECTIVE

The project aims at promoting game-based learning in schools as a way to enhance curriculum with motivating content for students.

✱ To propose specific digital games that are accessible and flexible enough to fit selected areas of the curriculum;

✱ To develop exemplary scenarios, how to integrate them into different subjects of the curriculum and pilot them with teachers unfamiliar with such educational technology;

✱ To elaborate experiences from these pilots in the form of case studies that can motivate new groups of teachers to follow;

✱ To widely disseminate the publication to leverage its wider impact.

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✽ The main target groups are Polish and Portuguese teachers from across the regions where our schools are located. This is the primary target group which will be extended further nationwide and in the European countries where the approach may bring innovative pedagogy to school education;

✽ The students of these teachers are indirect beneficiaries - an adoption of new teaching methods will impact on their motivation and learning outcomes.

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MAIN

OUTPUTS

Teacher training course on digital games for learning

03

a series of workshops for school teachers on how to use digital games in teaching curriculum subjects

Game-based learning activities in schools

02

implementation of the GBL pedagogy in the framework of school programme in 2 partner schools from Poland and Portugal
different subjects of the curriculum: Maths, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, English, Civics and Arts

Case studies of GBL across the curriculum

01

methodological publication presenting the GBL pedagogy
exemplary cases of using digital games in schools
resources/tools facilitating implementation of the pedagogy in the classroom

Exchange of good practices

04

introducing different technologies (VR sets, platforms, apps and games, mobile device-enabled activities, online multiplayer games, etc) and exemplify ways of their integration in the classroom

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1

For school students

Better engagement in learning;
Better mastery of the curriculum subjects in focus of the project;
Increased sense of creativity;
more positive attitudes to school as opening to their interests and peer culture as well as European projects supporting such learning.

2

For school teachers

Improvement of their teaching practice through practical acquaintance with the pedagogy of play;
enrichment of their classes with cross-curricular themes and use of digital media;
creation of more inclusive learning environment taking into account the varied students’ competences, experiences and interests;
Better understanding of young people’s learning lives in the digital age leading to better relations with students;
in terms of professional development – new opportunities for networked learning in a European dimension thus raising appreciation of EU educational projects.

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3

For partner organisations

Introduction of innovative teaching approaches to the Polish and Portuguese schools, fostering better student engagement in learning across the curriculum;
Inclusion of learners with different abilities, talents and disadvantages;
more effective use of digital tech outside the IT classroom;
reinforced capacity for European cooperation;
willingness to integrate good practices/methods from other contexts.

4

At systemic level

New input to the educational reform debate;
strengthened argumentation for interdisciplinary learning paths across the curriculum;
use of digital media for learning in the virtual space extending beyond the traditional classroom.

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Click here to read the Handbook in English.

Clique aqui para ler o “Handbook” em Português.

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Democracy

Epistory

Algobot

After testing the games

While testing the games

Before testing the games

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BEFORE TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Initial meeting (among teachers) to try the games, suggest ideas and set a strategy;
Subjects involved in each game: Portuguese, English, History, Physics, IT, Economy;
Calendar of game testing.

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CALENDAR OF GAME TESTING

01/07/2021

Day & Month	Weekday	Hours	Room	Game	Class	Teacher	IT Teacher supervision

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BEFORE TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Lesson plans: see Handbook
Quiz (Democracy)

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WHILE TESTING THE GAMES: DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Main difficulties (physical, technological, didactical…):

✱ Few computing rooms and not all computers run the games;

✱ Scheduling hours with teachers to test the games, especially those requiring IT teachers’ skills;

✱ Teachers don’t usually play games, so they are not confident with installing, playing and explaining the game to their students.

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WHILE TESTING THE GAMES: DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Students’ reactions to the games and the activities: initial excitement:

✱ Students don’t want to play, games are boring, difficult…;

✱ Pair work is helpful once one of the players always likes to play;

✱ In History lessons, students with lower engagement in class were more committed to the games;

✱ Students with less knowledge skills are prompter to help the others.

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WHILE TESTING THE GAMES: DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Teachers’ perception of game testing:

✱ In the beginning, teachers were skeptical about the games as a didactical tool;

✱ When they saw their students playing the games, they were surprised with students’ concentration and motivation;

✱ Teachers thought at first that testing the games would take less time time than they had expected and they had to extend the game play lessons.

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Final online meeting with all the teachers to sum up:
Positive aspects of game testing (strengths)
Negative aspects of the game testing (weaknesses)

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

PORTUGUESE & IT. 10th Form. Professional Course of Technical Management of Computing Systems. Democracy and Algobot.

Strengths:

Motivation and commitment throughout the activity;
After understanding the gameplay, some students wanted to play more and wouldn’t even want to leave for recess;
In the game Democracy, integration of personal experience and belief in the construction of a democratic system: one of the students had had his father arrested and showed a greater concern with public safety, law enforcement and justice;

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Recognition and conciliation of different political views, allowing for the enhancement of tolerance;
Some students from PALOPS (Portuguese speaking countries) see some of their concerns mirrored in the game, such as immigration, health, citizenship, border control, which is not as important to other students.

Weaknesses:

As the game Democracy is in English, the vocabulary was too specific for a Portuguese teacher, who couldn’t help students overcome some of their problems.

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

HISTORY, 11th Form, Class of Economics. Democracy.

Strengths:

In the subject of Economics, the state budget, decision making, company budget, balance, income, expenditure… these are all part of the syllabus;
The game allowed for the intertwining of History and Economics;
Decision-making well thought out and structured, showing students’ ideological and economic knowledge and convictions;
Students became the agents of political and social measures, as if they were acting in real life;
Students’ interaction, they helped each other a lot;
Some students came out with the idea that all politicians should play this game before they run for office.

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Weaknesses:

The use of the English language;
Interface: how to start, understand the graphic interface of the game, to know to change terms, how to read the instructions;
A group of students who are not usually engaged in class were particularly involved, they were the first to finish the game and they were really helpful to their classmates.

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

HISTORY, 10th Form, History A, Humanities Studies. Epistory and Democracy.

Strengths:

Civic awareness;
Understanding the complexity of any government;
The value of managing democratic systems;
Pair/teamwork.

Weaknesses:

Specific vocabulary;
Feeling of despair due to difficulties of balancing budget and popularity;
Students liked trying the games, different class, different activity, perspective;
Problems with language barrier were overcome through teamwork;
The graphics of the game were really helpful.

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

ENGLISH, 10th Form: 4 classes (2 Economics+1 Science and Technology + 1 Arts)

ENGLISH, 11th form: 2 classes (Science and Technology). Epistory and Democracy.

Strengths:

Understanding the complexity of government;
The value of managing democratic systems;
The increment of pair/team work;
The whole range of vocabulary students acquired;
The possibility of discussing, debating ideas among students in English, which develops speaking skills;
The possibility of using the game as a starting point to further debate and practice on current themes.

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Weaknesses:

How to assess the development of skills through this game, individually.

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Changes introduced in the teachers’ initial methodology:

✱ An initial Quiz was produced for all the games, but then it was multiplied by every game, so students’ opinion could be interpreted regarding each game individually.

Lesson plans:

✱ The lesson plans were very useful in following the methodology for each game, enabling teachers from different knowledge areas to have a plan to follow without hesitations.

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Quizzes (Democracy, Epistory, Algobot): see results
Conclusions

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

Conclusions:

✿ Games promoted intertextuality and class interaction;

✿ Students from Professional Courses, who have a more practical, less theoretical learning methodology, volunteered to help other students from regular courses install the games and explain how to play. This clearly shows how games promote teamwork, self-esteem and the development of other social skills;

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AFTER TESTING THE GAMES: �DEMOCRACY, EPISTORY, ALGOBOT

✿ More than enhancing theoretical knowledge, games enabled teamwork, they fought social stigma and promoted the discussion and reflection upon mainstream behaviour and individual identity and beliefs;

✿ Regarding the game Democracy, we can say that it has a lot of potential, it develops political consciousness and it should be tested, even introduced, in the national secondary level curricula;