Barzilai & Blau, (2014) stated that well-designed games are an effective way to engage students in authentic and situated meaning making. In Australia, it has been found that 97% of homes with children have computer games (Brand, Todhunter & Jervis, 2017). This suggests that game-based technology is rapidly emerging and can be used to support learning in the educational context. Game-based learning in the classroom can increase students’ motivation for learning and provide them with opportunities to explore and develop new knowledge and skills (Qian & Clark, 2016). Further, many educational games have been designed that aims to promote students’ 21st century skill development in schools (i.e. critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication).

An example of a program that facilitates game-based learning is ‘Scratch’. It is designed for users that are of 8 to 16 years old (Scratch, 2019), proving that it can be suited for students of the primary and secondary sector. Scratch is a visual-programming tool that allow users to design and create their own interactive stories and games with programmable characters. The features that allow users to control and move animated characters is achieved by a creating a sequence an algorithmic sequence that can foster creativity and computational skills (seen below). Additionally, Scratch promotes an open-world game that fosters creativity as students are able to design their own game and as well as play what others have created. This is important as having students become designers of games not only help develop 21^st century skills (Bower, 2019) but also allow students to apply content knowledge that has been learnt in the classroom.

Scratch can be used in the classroom for students to create their own game. For example, Scratch can be incorporated in a Mathematics lesson by having students create different multiplication problems of varying difficulties (further demonstrated in the video below). In order to win the game, students have to successfully answer a series of questions. The central challenge of integrating game-based learning is guiding students to make connections between the knowledge learned in the game and the content learning in class (Barzilai & Blau, 2014). Therefore, teachers can introduce new concepts together with a game character as to connect curricula content to the game content. Relating elements of games to the content being learned can “offer meaningful ways for learners to connect their understandings of the game with curricular concepts and principles” (Barzilai & Blau, 2014, p. 77).

References

Barzilai, S & Blau. I. (2014). Scaffolding game-based learning: Impact on learning achievements, perceived learning, and game experiences. Computers & Education, 70, 65-79.

Bower, M. (2019). EDUC362: Digital Creativity and Learning: Digital games and learning [Lecture PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=5019809

Brand, J.E., Todhunter, S. & Jervis, J. (2017). Digital Australia 2018. Eveleigh, NSW: IGEA. Retrieved from: https://www.igea.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Digital-Australia-2018-DA18-Final-1.pdf

Qian, M. & Clark. K. R. (2016). Game-based Learning and 21st century skills: A review of recent research. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 50-58.

Scratch. (2019). Who Uses Scratch?. MIT Media Lab. Retrieved from https://scratch.mit.edu/about/