Using Instructional Gaming to Teach STEM Education

Jessica Barron, MA Penn Highlands Community College

Adam Wasilko, MSDuquesne University

• STEM education in the United States• Video games in instruction• Instructional Gaming

– Minecraft– Virtual Science Labs– Portal 2– SimCity

• Resources and Conclusion

Overview

STEM education in the United States

• STEM fields are considered vital to the advancement of society

• Students need to be prepared to think about issues such as global warming, stem cells, nuclear power, genetically modified foods, etc.

• According to the NSF scientific literacy has been stagnant for 20 years

Why is this useful in STEM education?

• The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) encourages virtual learning opportunities

• STEM learning places emphasis on complex vocabulary, intricate equations and invisible phenomena.

• This places an added cognitive load on an already difficult subject area.

Video Gaming in Instruction

• Many instructors are turning to alternate teaching solutions to help bridge the gap in between hands on experiences and learning

• Clark Aldrich (http://www.clarkaldrichdesigns.com) is a leading interface designer and one of the top educational simulator creators in the world

“…the necessary goal of a well-designed sim-based program is to develop in the student a deep, flexible, intuitive, kinesthetic understanding of the subject matter.”

-Clark Aldrich

Simply observing a model in action is not enough for a learner to retain all that they have learned. In order to truly retain their knowledge, they should demonstrate their skills through the following steps:

– Attention – Retention– Production– Motivation

~Motivation in Education by Schunk, Pintrich, & Meece

Video Games in Instruction:Gaming and Social Cognitive Theory

• Schunk, Pintrich and Meece point out that “strategy instruction can foster self-efficacy for learning”

• This gives the student control in the learning process and outcomes

• In a group setting, learners help each other overcome obstacles and provide support for one another (Snowman, McCown & Biehler 2009).

• If no one could learn these games, no one would buy them—and players will not accept easy, dumbed down, or short games. At a deeper level, however, challenge and learning are a large part of what makes good video games motivating and entertaining. (Gee, 3)

Video Games in Instruction:Gaming and Social Cognitive Theory

• A “Sandbox” style game that provides an open environment for students to explore and learn

• The game provides a custom modification to help instructors use the game effectively in the classroom

• Minecraft can enable students to students apply their knowledge in technical and creative ways.

“Minecraft is a clever, award-winning game for people of all ages that as has sold over eight million copies on PC and over twelve million copies across all platforms.”

-Alexandra Ding, StudentAdvisor.com

Instructional Gaming:Minecraft

• Minecraft EDU http://minecraftedu.com/• Lesson Plans Include:• Using Redstone to teach programming and

electricity • Engineering and Spatial Reasoning• Multiplication skills and understanding the

concepts of volume and area

Instructional Gaming:Minecraft

Instructional Gaming:Minecraft

• STEM is based so heavily in technology. Virtual education is a natural place to expand on this.

• What possibilities are there?– Remote access or virtual lab

• Are you replacing traditional instruction or enforcing learning?

Instructional Gaming:Virtual Science Labs

• Collection of virtual labs, scenario-based learning activities, tutorials, and concept tests.

• Advanced, sophisticated, and realistic examples.

ChemCollective

Instructional Gaming:Portal 2

Using Portal 2 in STEM education provides:• person to person collaboration• the ability for learners to see

actions and the consequences in real-time

• They can also create their own levels using “Hammer” that their teammates can complete

Instructional Gaming:Portal 2

• Teach with portals: http://www.teachwithportals.com• Lesson Plans Include:• The Broken Rooms (Math)• Portal “Bouncing” and Oscillations, Lesson 1 & 2

(Physics)• Terminal Velocity• Introduction to Parabolas with the Puzzle Maker

Instructional Gaming:Portal 2

www.teeworlds.com

Instructional Gaming:SimCity

• In order to meet the demand to make STEM education more engaging, EA, Maxis and the GlassLab collaborated and modified EA’s SimCity game for educational use.

• The initiative is to attract students to high paying jobs within STEM

http://glasslabgames.org/

Instructional Gaming:SimCity

• SimCity EDU http://www.simcityedu.org/• Lesson Plans include:• Building Blocks: Geometry & Math-Minded

(Sim)City Building• Power to the People: Energy Consumption, Costs

& Consequences• If You Can’t Experiment, Simulate: Simulations as

Scientific Tools

Bleah, Joel. "Using Simulations to Learn Principles of Geometry and Civil Engineering." BrainMeld.org. Sept. 2005. Web. 18 Jan. 2011.

Chlomsky, P. (2003). Empirical evidence for the instructional effectiveness of explorlearning’s interactive content. Charlottesville, VA: Explore Learning.

Esche, S.. (2005). On the integration of remote experimentation into undergraduate laboratories – pedagogical approach. Journal of Instructional Media, 32(4), 397-408.

Gee, J.P (2005) Learning by Design: good video games as learning machines, E-Learning and Digital Media, 2(1), 5-16.

References

Klentshcy, M.. (2008).Developing teacher leaders in science: Attaining and sustaining science reform. Science Educator,17(2), 57-65.

Schunk, D. H., Pintrich, P. R., & Meece, J. L. (2008). Motivation in Education: Theory, Research, and Applications (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill-Prentice Hall.

Snowman, J., McCown, R. R., & Biehler, R. F. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

"Teacher's Guide." SimCity. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. <http://simcity3000unlimited.ea.com/us/guide/index.phtml?frame_src_content=tips/>.

References