SIMPLE BUT SERIOUS: GAMES-BASED LEARNING FOR DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL SCIENCE CONCEPTS

When we think of using computers in the classroom (or in a room of computers only), a plethora of uses can be listed - however any one teacher will be limited in the range of applications employed at any one time. Among the listings, the use of games may be placed, and of course, "gaming" is a larger part of a young person's experience of information and communication technology. "Games" employed as a learning tool, in addition to the construction of conceptual or factual knowledge, are used to heighten motivation, enhance the learner's problem-solving skills and develop the user's sense of anticipation into the future (which can be thought of as an hypothesis-forming, and testing, aspect). Games, however, even in the 'serious' mode, range from simple stand-alone single task applications or "applets" within or without the web environment up to full-immersion virtual realities. The aim here is to investigate a number of aspects of gaming (i.e., games-based learning) in the learning of specific science concepts that promotes problem-solving and anticipatory reasoning correctly at the level of simple task applets. In such a way the aim is to approach the constructivist ideal as closely as possible. In other work, we have reported the implementation of using Flash applets in primary schools in the whole-class setting from the point of view of examining the meshing of the teacher's perspective and the constructivist ideal. In this work, we examine the applets through the lens of "information and communications technology - technological pedagogical content knowledge" (ICT-TPCK) and formally analyse the applets in terms of their role in terms of integrating the games within a formal classroom learning sequence as opposed to externally oriented interventions, "edutainment" or add-ons to the usual learning environment. A emergent model of how such games can be used within the whole-class situation is advocated rather than removing to the school's computer room, in order to make the teacher more responsible and active in the process of their students' learning, even when ICT is employed.