The Use of Game Design in SEN

by Morten Lindelof and Christian Møller Nielsen, Denmark

Teaching children with ASD/ADHD requires motivation. All children loves to play computer games.

We will present a concrete project and its effects on learning opportunities. By including elements from game design and computer games in the teaching of our pupils, we discovered that using a game analogy while teaching increased and optimized the motivation and concentration span.

In the session we demonstrate how to plan and implement a GBL strategi in special education.

Session Program• Background

• About Project GAMES

• Approach to gamedesign in SEN

• Examples from real life

What to learn from this session?

• An understanding of games as fun - not scary, difficult nor a waste of time

• Easy to use examples

• Inspiration of how to get engaged in the use of games

Langagerskolen

Public SEN school for students between 6-18 years

155 students

ASD and/or ADHD

Ideology and theoretical framework

• Individuality • Cooperation with parents • Holistic approach • Interdisciplinarity

TEACCH - ATLASS - Studio 3TEACCH: teaching, expanding, appreciating, collaborating and cooperating, holistic

Studio 3: Low arousal

ATLASS: Autistic Training Low Arousal Support Schedule

www.atlassautism.com/ www.teacch.com/ www.studio3.org/

Tools and approaches

• Structure and visualization • Rules • Guidance in social situations • Direction • Social Stories™

About Project GAMES

• Gameday for students

• Workshops for staff members

• Survey

• Different approaches to gaming

• Playing games

• New way of teaching

Approach to gamedesign in SEN

Definition of a gameTo play a game is to voluntarily to submit to a set of rules and solve a given problem within the game. The game includes a problem to be solved and a goal to be achieved.

“There must be something at stake”

Games as entertainment vs. games as education

pauses/breaks vs. lessons

playing vs. learning

leisure time vs. school

child controlled vs. adult controlled

• Teaching about games

• Teaching with the game as a “digital textbook”

• Teaching in the development of games

Gamemaker Explorer

Supervisor Mediator

Premises• The game has to be acknowledged as a learning

resource

• The teacher must be able to get carried away - to see what happens

• The game is the student's domain and must be respected as such

• The student is the expert - the teacher is the novice

• Take the game seriously!

Considerations• How do we integrate games in teaching?

• How do we establish a link between the curriculum and the goals of the game?

• How do we assess whether a specific game can be used as a teaching material?

• How do we learn a new game? - Maybe in a language we do not master?

• What do we learn from a particular game?

Dilemma?• Most games require that you can predict

various outcomes of the game

• Most games require the player to reflect on the solution of the problem

• Most games require communication between the players

• Most games require players to cooperate to solve the problem

• Games are (almost always) unreliable

• Games requires analytical skills

ASD is deficit within three key areas:

• Verbal and non-verbal Communication

• Social awareness and interactions

• Imaginative play (variable interests and behaviors)

Source: autism.net.au/Autism_Definition.htm

Examples from real life

Flabby BirdA. Take the course on

studio.code.org/flappy

B. Make your own version of Flabby Bird

C. Make three versions of Flappy Bird: easy, medium, difficult

D. Make a video to a friend of how to design your own game - use a screen recorder

Teacher

Game

Student

• lind2353@aaks.dk - not that fashionable!

• chmoni@aarhus.dk - @cm_nielsen