Reprinted from Connect
Vol.21 No.4, March/April, 2008
Focus on: Screen Time
Grade Level: 3-5
Grade Level: 6-8
Grade Level: Professional Development

Enriched Learning with Video Simulation Games

by Elizabeth Simpson and Frances A. Clem

The kids come into the classroom and begin to work in pairs without the teacher having to quiet them down or get them started. Each pair is soon bent over a laptop. At times sirens can be heard, along with intense discussions about defibrillators, splints, blood pressure, and trauma. Soon one group cheers, "We got our certification!" Then they continue to work on more cases.

Lorraine Saulino-Klein teaches a First Responders class at Laramie (Wyoming) High School. Last year, after taking a Teacher Quality Enhancement workshop in using commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) video games as teaching tools, Lorraine decided to try using the techniques in her own classroom. Afterwards, she felt the results, discussed below, were gratifyingand fascinating.

Digital natives

Teachers across the U.S. are starting to incorporate similar tools into their lesson plans. They do so because they know that the current generation of learners is different from earlier generations. These kids have grown up in a digital environment, giving them learning patterns that researchers say are typical of "digital natives": a higher need for autonomy and self-set goals; a preference for graphical devices; expectation of "on-demand" learning and information; a willingness to try and fail and try again; and a liking for solving problems collaboratively, exchanging information freely while maintaining their competitiveness and individualism.

These are learning patterns that have been created and reinforced through hours of playing video games. The statistics tell the story: the National Institute on Media and the Family reports that 92 percent of children aged two to seventeen play video and computer games, with the percentages climbing yearly; about two-thirds of adolescents play the games daily. Sixty percent of all Americans, or about 145 million people, play interactive games on a regular basis. Surveys of parents have indicated that children between the ages of two and seventeen spend almost six-and-a-half hours a day in front of electronic screens. It used to be that a significantly higher percentage of boys than girls played video games, but the game-playing rates are equalizing now that more girl-centered games are available.

Educational research has shown that simulation environments provide rich learning opportunities in a context in which most youngsters feel comfortable and capable. But teachers often do not know how to utilize these tools. If the teacher did not grow up "digital" he or she may not have a comfort level with the simulations; additionally, teachers may be reluctant to use a tool that seems too frivolous to them or they may be concerned about choosing a simulation game with inappropriate content.

Lessons from games

The video simulation game workshop that Saulino-Klein and about forty other teachers completed gave teachers the opportunity to try out a range of games and to experience what their students were using daily. They then applied their new-found gaming expertise by creating lesson plans that their colleagues critiqued and improved. Two of the lesson plans that are applicable to science and math content areas are shown at the end of this article.

Teachers were encouraged to use video games as tools to support their lessons rather than seeking games that would directly teach the content area. This is an important distinction; commercial video simulations can best be used to enliven a lesson by piquing students' interests or by offering a context in which students can apply knowledge. They should never be looked at as replacing the teacher. However, they do require the teacher to take on a somewhat different role in the classroom.

In Lorraine Saulino-Klein's case, after teaching a unit on the proper procedures for triage, she assigned her class to play a number of rounds of the video game 911 Paramedic® (Vivendi Games). The video game was designed with input from Paramedics in the field. A simulated accident or emergency is called in and the player is the paramedic who responds. If students successfully work through the cases, they are awarded a "certificate" by the game. Lorraine had pre-tested the students' triage skills on a paper-and-pencil test before they began the simulation. She set up three days in the computer lab for the students to work through the game simulations. At the conclusion of the time with the game, the students were retested.

A challenge for gamers

What Lorraine found was interesting. Three-fourths of the students had taken the game as she intended: as an opportunity to practice their skills. Their scores improved significantly on the posttest. One group however, who had previously self-identified as "gamers," lost ground on the posttest. The gamer group had "played the game." They were the first to get the certificate, because they had interpreted getting the certificate as winning the game. Once they realized that just gaming did not meet the goal of the class, they wanted to try again. This illustrates an important point. Our students who identify as gamers have to be taught how to use the game as a tool to enhance their learning in school, the same as teachers who are not familiar with the tool.

After the unit, Lorraine debriefed the students on what they had learned from the game, how they had applied what they already knew from the class textbook, and how the game and the textbook differed.

Because digital learners tend to be highly self-determining and self-motivating, teachers should allow students to set many of their own goals in the lesson. Students need to be allowed the freedom to determine what information or data they need and to find it themselves (Sample Lesson Plan 2 is a good example of this) and then to use the information in the way they find most useful.

Sometimes students use ways of acquiring information that surprise non-digital learners; for example, a few of Saulino-Klein's students purposely went through several rounds of the game, trying to see what would happen if they did the wrong thing for the patients in the game's scenarios. While to a non-digital teacher this might look like "wasting time" or counterproductive activity, what the students were actually doing was attempting to gather information. In a game, if you are not on the right track, the game will offer you hints and corrective actions. The students were simply seeking out sources of information within the game that might be useful as they worked through the scenarios.

Applying their skills

Theresa Williams, another graduate of the games workshop, decided to use the game SimCity^TM (Electronic Arts, Inc.) for her seventh and eighth grade class. Her students completed a science unit in sustainable ecology and she wanted to see whether the kids would apply what they had learned. Specifically, she observed whether the students would use information they gained from the unit on sustainable living to demonstrate how to design and develop a sustainable virtual environment and, based on the National Math Standards, whether the students would use graphs to interpret information within the virtual environment.

Theresa's results were mixed for a couple of reasons. First, in order to have the time to include the game, the students were asked to sign up for a special Friday elective class. Theresa had planned to allow only her students to participate in the special section. However, due to a glitch at the administrative level, students who were not familiar with sustainable living were allowed in. The administration saw this as a "gaming experience" rather than an "educational experience."

Theresa had to modify expectations on the spot and decided that rather than evaluate sustainable living demonstration per se, she would evaluate how the students interacted with the game and what kinds of spaces they would create on their own. First, she noted that all the students had to have time to gather information from the game, testing all the buttons and capabilities. She also noted that a great deal of information regarding the game was passed from student to student as they worked through and collaborated, using each other as experts while individual skills increased.

Because of the mixed group, her findings based on the standards were not remarkable; there were too many conflicting variables to make any reliable conclusions. What she did note however, was that the students built a community of learners, setting goals, sharing information, and challenging each other to improve. She noted that about a fourth of her students who had taken the sustainable living class did create "green" spaces and by doing so, encouraged other gamers, including those who were not familiar with the unit, to do the same. "I learned more about how learning is transferred and status is established in these learning groups than anything else. You can have a student that might be an outcast in the regular classroom, and they are a leader in this activity."

Value of commercial games

Commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) video games can be used in a wide range of classrooms and content areas, from elementary grades through high school. Another example is a lesson that targets tenth through twelfth graders learning science and elementary physics by having them play a game set in the middle ages. Students learn the physical properties of catapults (trebuchets) and apply science lessons to make them more effective, a good use of the game to engage students and hold their interest while encouraging them to learn complicated scientific lessons.

Teachers who decide to use a COTS video simulation game in their classroom should keep a few simple suggestions in mind:

• Use the game as a tool or a support for the lesson, not as a substitute teacher.
• Allow students enough time to learn the game. They need to crash the game at least once, find out how the game gives feedback, figure out what resources and constraints are built in to the game. Give them the time and space to fail, then let them press "restart."
• Be sure to enlist the support of your administration as well as the school's IT department. IT may need to ensure the game will run and install properly on school computers. Administrative support is critical in helping teachers find the time to plan for incorporating this new tool. Also, notify school administration and parents so that no one will mistake your lesson for unauthorized playtime.
• Plan instructional activities around the game. The kids may see the game as the centerpiece of the lesson, but you'll need support activities, a summation or synthesis activity, and some means of measuring progress and learning.

When used correctly, COTS video simulation games can enrich and enliven standards-based lesson plans and provide a new way to reach learners and encourage them to work together collaboratively. "I see the games as another avenue to reach unmotivated students, using strengths they have to help them succeed. I see using the games as a supplement when other avenues have not been successful for a student in the learning process," said high-school social studies teacher Cory Scimeca. Les Ommen, a high-school science teacher, adds, "I was very encouraged to realize that gamers use similar strategies that I use with my students in designing, building, and testing various experiments/projects in my physics classes. I try to convince my students that what we do is primarily a trial and error process and that failure is okay. Just re-think, re-design, and start over. I just need to explain that process better and help them make that connection."

©2008 Synergy Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.

Both authors are based in Laramie, Wyoming. They collaborate at the Learning Research Institute, an educational consulting firm whose main focus is to bridge the gap between traditional teaching methods and the current needs of a new generation of learners, and offer workshops on how to integrate video simulation games in standards-based teaching. http://www.learningresearchinstitute.com.

Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. 2nd edition: revised and updated. New York: PalgraveMacmillan, 2007.

Mitchell, Alice and Carol Savill-Smith. The Use of Computers and Video Games for Learning: A Review of the Literature. Learning Skills Development Agency (2004). http://www.lsda.org.uk/files/PDF/1529.pdf.

Prensky, Marc. Digital Game-Based Learning. St Paul: Paragon House Publishers, 2007.

Grades: 4—5
Content Area: Science
Science Standards: Concepts and Processes; Science as Inquiry; Science and the Nature of Science in Personal and Social Decisions
Game Used: Crazy Machines"
Summary: Students learn how a variety of simple machines (inclined plane, wheel and axle, screw, wedge, lever, pulley, gear, magnet, etc.) work and how they have made work easier and more efficient throughout history. Students then apply their knowledge by creating their own machines to perform specific tasks.
Instructional Plan:
1. Determine what learners already know through discussion, pre-test, etc.
2. Through interactive discussion, explicit direct instruction, teacher-facilitated centers, hands-on experiences, book, Internet, and video/DVD research, students gain knowledge about simple machines and how they work as well as how machines make work easier and more efficient.
3. Students discuss the development of knowledge concerning simple machines and the use of these simple machines throughout history.
4. Students use knowledge gained to construct complex machines using Lego® kits.
5. Students do brainteasers on the computer simulation "Crazy Machines." They begin at the most basic level and progress at their own pace through the ever more complex brainteasers. They may obtain expert help as needed.
6. Students relate their learning about simple machines to the real world. Example: How are simple machines used to make a car run?, etc.
7. Students create their own original complex machines using a variety of simple machines using Lego® kits, "Crazy Machine" software, etc.
8. Students give a presentation of their machine to the class telling what work it is designed to do and how the simple machines work together in a complex way.

Grades: 8—9
Content Area: Science
Science Standards: Concepts and Processes; Science as Inquiry; History and the Nature of Science in Personal and Social Decisions
Math:Data Analysis and Probability
Game Used: Zoo Tycoon"
Summary: Students will work with a partner to use the game Zoo Tycoon, along with additional activities, to analyze the habitat needs and interspecies interactions of a chosen animal.
Instructional Plan:
1. Have student pairs play the game for one hour. During this time they should set up a zoo, including appropriate habitats.
2. Choose one animal from the game to study.
3.Research the life history of the animal outside of the game, including habitat.
4. Play the game for two more hours using the information they gathered to maximize the population. Improve the habitat of the animal chosen according to their research.
5. Evaluate the results of their decisions and try again if necessary. Reevaluate the species' success.
6. Prepare graphs of simulation results, population growth, and other factors cross-referenced with population numbers and growth.
7. Write a report describing the best habitat for their species, including environmental limitations. Include any compromises between the zookeeper's and the animal's needs. Include graphic representations of data to support conclusions.

©2008 Synergy Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Simpson - Elizabeth holds a Doctorate in Educational Psychology. She has classroom experience as a special educator, college professor, consultant, and researcher. Her research focuses on the use of video games as learning tools in education and business to benefit today's learners and tomorrow's leaders. (2008)
List all articles by Elizabeth Simpson

Frances A. Clem - Frances holds a doctorate in Educational Technology. She works with organizations to help them design and implement programs to improve the skill levels of their professional and technical members. (2008)
List all articles by Frances A. Clem