Simulation and Games to Improve Teaching

Dr. David Gibson

CurveShift.com

How simSchool Works

simSchool Creates “Know-How”

…the tacit decision making processes a teacher uses when questioning students, making suggestions, or noticing signs of understanding.

(Observable Variables)Dynamically Generated Profiles

• A database of text on each personality element allows 5 statement fragments per element

• This produces 5 ^ 9 or 1.9 million written profiles

(Observable Variables)Student Behavior

Body posture offers clues

Verbal responses reflect student’s internal state

““I am tryingI am tryinghard tohard to

complete my work”complete my work”

simSchool

http://simschool.org/

What Games & Sims Teach

• Understanding big ideas - systems knowledge• Dealing with time and scale• Practice in decision-making• Active problem-solving• Concepts, strategies, & tactics• Understanding processes beyond experience• Practice makes improvement

(Aldrich, 2005)

Elements & Impacts

Experience Elements

• Simulation

• Game

• Pedagogy

Content Types

• Systems

• Cyclical

• Linear

Discover & Practice

Test & Motivate

Present & Support

(Aldrich, 2005)

Learning Theory Framework

AssessmentLearner

Knowledge Community

AssessmentLearner

Knowledge Community

Activity Theory Framework

Artifacts(Interface - Models)

Subject (Players)

Object(Control-Win)

Community(Gamers - Agents)

Roles

(Gamers - Agents)Praxis

(Rules - Strategies -Experimental

Evidence)

Research Themes

• Situating G&S in education

• Social analysis of G&S

• What teachers should know and be able to do with G&S

• Augmenting reality with handhelds

• Embedding assessment in G&S

simSchool’s “Engine”

Independent Variables

Dependent Variables

Observable Variables

Hidden Variables

What context teachers see

How students react

What teachers do

student outcomes

(Hidden Variables)3-Aspect simStudent Personality

• Openness to learning• Conscientiousness

toward tasks• Extroversion or

introversion• Agreeableness• Neuroticism -

emotional stability

• Visual• Auditory• Kinesthetic

• Expected academic performance

(Hidden Variables)

Interpersonal Circumplex

Teachers and students interact with one another by negotiating power and affiliation

(Independent Variables)What Teachers Do

Select Tasks Emotional, Physical & Cognitive current states of

students interact with task requirementsA Zone of Proximal Development determines time-to-

success on task and effects student attitudes

• Talk to simStudentsQuestions, observations, or assertions about academic

or, behavioral issues

Task Profiles

(2.00) (1.00) 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00

do an oral quiz

go over last week's lessons

take a pop quiz

do a brief presentation from memory

recite a lengthy poem

take a written test

do silent reading

do whole-class oral response

do a team worksheeet

apply a formula

take notes during lecture

play a game

analyze text

create a graphic

compare and contrast

do design on multiple criteria

student-lead class discussion

make a creative product

develop a project plan

develop a hypothesis

Extro Agree Persist Emotion Intell Acad

(0.30) (0.20) (0.10) 0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80

Amazo, Jay

Young, Aaron

Young, Airianna

Youngston, Alonzo

Zeba, Ali

academic_gain average_power average_affiliation

Feedback

Tasks

Performance in Time

simStudent Learning(e.g. 5 min gains on 3 tasks by “Ali”)

(1.00)

(0.90)

(0.80)

(0.70)

(0.60)

(0.50)

(0.40)

(0.30)

(0.20)

(0.10)

0.00

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1.00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

aca

extro

agree

persis

emot

intell

(1.00)

(0.90)

(0.80)

(0.70)

(0.60)

(0.50)

(0.40)

(0.30)

(0.20)

(0.10)

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1.00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

aca

extro

agree

persis

emot

intell

Do an oral quiz Recite a lengthy poem

(1.00)

(0.90)

(0.80)

(0.70)

(0.60)

(0.50)

(0.40)

(0.30)

(0.20)

(0.10)

0.00

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1.00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

aca

extro

agree

persis

emot

intell

Do whole-class oral response

gain 0.07gain (0.11) gain 0.17

simSchool Theories

• Zone of Proximal Development

• OCEAN model of psychology

• Physical model of sensation-perception

• Social Expectation States Theory concerning tasks

• Complex Systems

• System dynamics

Zone of Proximal Development

TASK Requirements

ZPD of the STUDENT

Time on Task

OCEAN model of psychology

• Open to New Things• Conscientious• Extroverted• Agreeable• Emotionally Stable

• Prefers Familiar• Easily Distracted• Introverted• Works Alone• Touchy - neurotic

Representational Domains

V A K O C E A N n…

Sally

Josh

Complex models produce data

• Differs from “noncomputational” theorizing in education

• A computer-based game or simulation the production of data is the centerpiece of game play, agent behavior, and the representation of physical processes.

Complex System Framework• Nodes and Influences• Hyperlinked peer-to-peer and hierarchical

structures• Interacting representational domains

comprised of factors expressed as continua• Dynamics characterized by

multidimensional fields with attractors and repellors controlling the evolution of system and subsystem states.

Nodes and Influences

Hyperlinked, peer-to-peer, hierarchical structures

V A K O C E A N n…

Dynamics

SallyTask

Dynamic Landscapes

TaskStudent

simSchool

www.simschool.org

david.gibson@curveshift.com