The application of games in pedagogical process

Dana Vokounova, University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovakia

Learning is sometimes not an easy task and it requires effort, concentration and interest from students. It´s useful to use various approaches and to involve students into the pedagogical process. Carlos M. Zapata J. and Gabriel Awad – Aubad (Requirement Game: Teaching Software Project management) from the Univesidad Nacional in Colombia point out: pedagogical processes should focus not only on the field of knowledge, but on conceptual elements belonging to other knowledgeable fields, specially those related to the development of social abilities (team work, leadership, communication, …). Learning models have evolved from teacher- centered models to student-centered models. Student-centered models have more chances to face the challenge of current teaching, and the reason is that effective learning – and we can assume that learning is the process of generating a permanent change in knowledge or behavior by means of experience – involves logical issues (analytical or verbal processes) and creative activities development (for example patterns or relationships).
There are several ways which can make learning process meaningful and interesting. These ways have one common feature: involving students actively. Learning by using games is considered a modern pedagogical tool and it comes out from the idea that experience is a very good teacher. Bushell (in: Zapata, C. M. J. – Awad-Aubad, G.): Game is an interactive activity for simulating real world conditions in order to stimulate decision making learning. Games are competitions where people agree with certain rules of behavior, and where people make decisions for changing self and each other states.
Games offer an opportunity to simulate the real world, competitive environment and to confront students with everyday problems or challenges. According to various authors (Zapata, C. M. J., Awad-Aubad, G., Lee Su Kim, Yin Yong Mei, Jang Yu-jing, Tyson, Lengeling, M. M.  and Malarcher, C.) using games in peagogical process has following benefits:

Games
•    improve cognition
•    improve verbal and social skills
•    improve knowledge retention
•    reinforce self esteem
•    increase motivation since they are amusing and at the same time challenging
•    increase learning velocity
•    help to sustain students interest and the effort of learning
•    develop critical thinking
•    have impact of emotions in learning
•    stimulate peer learning
•    encourage students to interact and communicate
•    develop a teamwork abilities
•    develop communication among people
•    encourage shy students to participate positively
•    generate of solving problem abilities
•    are welcome break from the usual routine
•    add variation to a lesson
•    build class cohesion
•    are fun and students like to play them
•    offer students to experiment, discover, and interact with their environment.

Using games has a lot of benefits but there are also weaknesses. Games can only reproduce a limited amount of relations and influences coming from real surroundings. Students play in specific environment (classroom, peers) which does not correspond to real conditions. Their behavior by playing game could differ from behavior under real conditions. Students know that implications from a game are not significant as it is in real life. They do not make their decisions under stress and results (good or bad) do not influence their personal situation. The role of the teacher is very important. It´s on him/her to show and demonstrate the meaning and application of the game to real life.

Here is an example of the game:

LOST ON THE MOON WORKSHEET
from NASA
(http://www.kathimitchell.com/lost.htm)

Your spaceship has just crashed on the dark side of the moon. You were scheduled to rendezvous with a mother ship 200 miles away on the lighted surface of the moon, but the rough landing has ruined your ship and destroyed all the equipment on board except for the following 15 items:
•    Box of matches
•    Food concentrate
•    50 feet of nylon rope
•    Parachute silk
•    Solar-powered portable heating unit
•    Two .45¬caliber pistols
•    One case of dehydrated milk
•    Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen
•    Stellar map (of the moon's constellations)
•    Self-inflating life raft
•    Magnetic compass
•    5 gallons of water
•    Signal flares
•    First-aid kit containing injection needles
•    Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter.

Your crew's survival depends on reaching the mother ship, so you must choose the most critical items available for the 200-mile trip. Your task is to rank the 15 items in terms of their importance for survival. Place a number 1 by the most important item, number 2 by the second most important, and so on, through number 15, the least important. Write your ranks into the sheet.
Now form the group of 4-10 students. The group task is to rank again these 15 items so that each member (or majority of members) of the group agree with the final ranking.
THE ANSWERS

Following are the answers to the group problem-solving test. The difference between your rank and NASA's (plus or minus) is to be listed in the "Difference for You" column. The difference between your group's rank and NASA's is to be listed in the last column.
Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a learning experience. Have fun with the activity.

Error points are the absolute difference between your rankings and NASA's (disregard plus or minus signs).
                                                                                    0-25 excellent
                                                                                    26-32 good
                                                                                    33-45 fair
                                                                                    56-70 oops
                                                                                    71-112 oh, well
Reasoning
1.     Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen - Most pressing survival need
2.     5 gallons of water - Replacement for tremendous liquid loss on lighted side
3.     Stellar map (of the moon's constellations) - Primary means of navigation
4.     Food concentrate - Efficient means of supplying energy requirements
5.      Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter - For communication with mother ship;
    but FM requires line-of-sight transmission and short ranges
6.     Fifty feet of nylon rope - Useful in scaling cliffs, tying injured together
7.     Useful in scaling cliffs, tying injured together - Needles for vitamins, medicines,
    etc., will fit special aperture in NASA space suits
8.     Parachute silk - Protection from sun's rays
9.     Self-inflating life raft - CO2 bottle in military raft may be used for propulsion
10.     Signal flares - Distress signal when mother ship is sighted
11.     Two .45 caliber pistols - Possible means of self-propulsion
12.     One case of Pet milk - Bulkier duplication of food concentrate
13.     Solar-powered portable heating unit - Not needed unless on dark side
14.     Magnetic compass - Magnetic field on moon is not polarized;
    worthless for navigation
15.     Box of matches - No oxygen to sustain flame, virtually worthless

Teacher may ask students following questions:

•    Who was the leader of the group? Why?
•    Had the group more leaders? Why?
•    How were decisions made?
•    How was conflict managed?
•    Who influenced the decisions and how?
•    Had the individual better score than the group? If yes, what happened that he/she didn´t persuade other members?
•    How could better decisions have been made?
•    How did students feel about the decisions?
•    How satisfied was each student with the decision?
•    What would you do differently if you would play the game again?
•    What situations in your life do you think are like this game?
 
In this game students have to make decision under uncertainty. It means they have to make choice among several possible alternatives but they have not enough information (they are not sure) about their impacts. In given uncertainty, even making one decision is difficult.

And how can be used this game for learning about consumer citizenship or sustainability?
Sometimes you can teach about serious issues by having fun and playing games.
There are certain situations in our lives when we need to decide between two or more alternatives and we are not sure if our decision is the right one concerning sustainability. One can be confused and it helps when he talks to his friends, family or authorities. It helps one to be more informed and the probability of making the right decision gets bigger.

By playing this game students realize:
•    Cooperation results in better outcomes
•    Population should cooperate, have a dialog and that´s the way to sustainability
•    People are influenceable (in both good and bad way)
•    Some people can manipulate others without using facts
•    Students can participate in influencing others
•    When they want to persuade someone they need to have good arguments
•    People should share knowledge or experience with others.

Reference:
ERSOZ, A.: Six Games for the EFL/ESL Classroom. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VI, No. 6, June 2000. http://www.teflgames.com/why.html
LEE SU KIM: Creative Games for the Language Class. 'Forum' Vol. 33 No 1, January - March 1995, Page 35.  'Forum' Vol. 33 No 1, January - March 1995, Page 35
LENGELING, M. M. - MALARCHER, C.: Index Cards: A Natural Resource for Teachers. Forum Vol. 35 No 4, October - December 1997 Page 42. http://www.teflgames.com/why.html
NGUYEN THI THANH HUYEN - KHUAT THI THU NGA: Learning Vocabulary Through Games. Asian EFL Journal - December 2003. http://www.teflgames.com/why.html
UBRMAN, A.: The Use of Games For Vocabulary Presentation and Revision.
Forum Vol. 36 No 1, January - March 1998 Page 20. http://www.teflgames.com/why.html
WRIGHT, A. - BETTERIDGE, D. -  BUCKY, M.: Games for Language Learning.
Cambridge University Press, 1984 http://www.teflgames.com/why.html
YIN YONG MEI - JANG YU-JING: Using Games in an EFL Class for Children. Daejin University ELT Research Paper. Fall, 2000. http://www.teflgames.com/why.html
ZAPATA, C. M. J. – AWAD-AUBAD, G.: Requirement Game: Teaching Software Project management.
Lost on the moon.http://www.kathimitchell.com/lost.htm