DIGITAL GAMES MAKING INROADS IN THE CLASSROOM ACCORDING TO NATIONAL TEACHER SURVEY

Study Shows Growing Receptivity to Use of Games to Teach and Video Case Studies Feature Innovative Programs

Level up learning: A national survey on teaching with digital gamesNew York, NY, October 21, 2014 – Amid a boom in investment and experimentation with educational technologies in U.S. schools, digital games are gaining a strong foothold in the K-8 classroom, as teachers report incorporating video games in their curriculum with positive results. A national survey of nearly 700 U.S. K-8 teachers conducted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and the Games and Learning Publishing Council reveals that almost three-quarters of K-8 teachers are using digital games for instruction. Four out of five of those teachers report that their students play games at school at least once a month.

Level Up Learning: A National Survey on Teaching with Digital Games by Lori M. Takeuchi and Sarah Vaala reports that teachers who use games more often found greater improvement in their students’ learning across subject areas. However, the study also reveals that only 42% of teachers say that games have improved students’ science learning (compared to 71% in math), despite research suggesting that games are well suited for teaching complex scientific concepts.

As Bring Your Own Device and one-to-one computing policies gain prominence in classrooms; it is of note that 37% of game-using teachers report digital games as being effective in improving students’ social skills, which is low compared to other skills queried. Teachers whose students primarily play together (in pairs, small groups, as a whole class) were more likely to report improvements in social skills than teachers whose students play alone.

The survey also reveals that teachers would benefit from more comprehensive training to take better advantage of digital games. Of the teachers surveyed, just 8% said they received training on digital game integration.

Milton Chen, Chairman of the Games and Learning Publishing Council and Senior Fellow at the George Lucas Educational Foundation said, “Teachers are showing a surprisingly strong receptivity to using games and acknowledging their power for student engagement. The growing momentum has been largely fueled by bottom-up professional development. Teachers are telling us that they are eager learners and ready for more in-depth professional experiences with games.”

The challenge of training new and current teachers how to incorporate games into the classroom is the theme of a new series of video case studies just released by the Games and Learning Publishing Council, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and the Institute of Play. “Teaching with Games: New Approaches to Professional Development” features five programs in U.S. schools where teachers include games in their curricula.  Each video profiles educators, who are at various stages of their careers, and their approach to integrating games in their classroom. The series, published on both the Institute of Play’s site and the learning games news site gamesandlearning.org, introduces the concepts these new professional development efforts instill in teachers and offers insights into how these programs may be expanded with the help of game developers.

The series is a compilation of several reports that can help game developers assess the state of the learning game industry. Gamesandlearning.org is also currently publishing “The State of the Learning Games Industry,” a series that explores key challenges facing the industry and what leaders are doing to address them.

VeraQuest fielded the survey with 694 educators in Fall 2013. Researchers at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center designed the instrument and conducted the primary data analysis that went into developing Level Up Learning: A National Survey on Teaching with Digital Games.

Gamesandlearning.org is a project of the Games and Learning Publishing Council and produced by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center investigates the potential of digital media to help children learn, and collaborates with educators, media producers, policymakers and investors to put this research into action. An independent nonprofit organization, the Center addresses issues of digital equity and aims to strengthen connections between formal and informal learning environments. Learn more atwww.joanganzcooneycenter.org.

 

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