What are the benefits of using videogames in the classroom? Students learn from a variety of different styles. In addition to the traditional styles found in a lecture setting which would include auditory and visual learning styles, a videogame incorporates kinesthetic and tactile learning. When using a videogame, students become more active learners, as opposed to passive learners when sitting in a lecture. By incorporating videogames into a lesson, you also draw students in by referencing something the students can relate to and find enjoyable. Finally, in some situations a videogame may be more economical than other activities done in the classroom. Purchasing a 30 dollar game may be less expensive than lab equipment that teaches the same content, but costs hundreds of dollars more.
What does the research show? Researchers at the University of Wisconsin looked at a study of teenage boys playing a videogame known as Lineage. The students used Excel spreadsheets to collect data, and made predictions, devised experiments, and drew conclusions to win the game. These are the same types of students who would normally not show an interest in the scientific method, but are using it to solve problems in a game. Recent polls have also shown that a majority of teachers would consider using videogames in the classroom with 91% of that majority feeling that those who played videogames developed motor-cognitive skills. In addition, research shows that students obtain a high level of engagement in the classroom. Finally, using videogames in the classroom can lead to higher motivation and post-test scores.
What games will be used in this lesson? The two video games used in this lesson are Roller Coaster Designer, and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. Roller Coaster Designer is an online game in which students read about the physics concepts used to design a roller coaster, and then practice designing one. Through trial and error students will try to get passengers safely to the end of the track. In Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, similar concepts are explored, but at a more advanced level. The aim of the game is to design roller coasters and create and manage an amusement park which will allow customers to ride these roller coasters that the students design. For the purpose of this lesson, students will not focus on managing the park, simply on designing successfully running roller coasters. What games will be used in this lesson? The two video games used in this lesson are Roller Coaster Designer, and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. Roller Coaster Designer is an online game in which students read about the physics concepts used to design a roller coaster, and then practice designing one. Through trial and error students will try to get passengers safely to the end of the track. In Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, similar concepts are explored, but at a more advanced level. The aim of the game is to design roller coasters and create and manage an amusement park which will allow customers to ride these roller coasters that the students design. For the purpose of this lesson, students will not focus on managing the park, simply on designing successfully running roller coasters.
Why use these particular games in a classroom? For a Physics class, students need to learn about such concepts as energy. These games could be used to help students develop insights into different types of energy, and to show the relationships between types of energy. A students could use these games as a type of Informal learning in which they develop a basic understanding of energy and its use in the world around them. They would then be able to take these ideas and apply them to other topics brought up in a classroom discussion. For the physics classroom, students should be able to design a coaster that successfully completes the track.
How will these games actually be used? In Roller Coaster designer, students will read the introduction which gives a crash lesson on the Physics used to design a coaster. Students will then be given time to use the program and try their hand at successfully creating a roller coaster. Through trial and error, students will hopefully begin to get a sense of some of the problems involved with designing a coaster. In Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, students will use the concepts learned during the lesson to design a functioning Roller Coaster. Students should have used the concepts of Potential Energy, Kinetic Energy, and The Law of Conservation of Energy to create a roller coaster that goes all the way around the track. In addition, as I walk around the room monitoring their progress in the design of these roller coasters, students should be able to tell me their thoughts on why they are designing their coaster the way they are, using the concepts learned from class.
What will a finished product look like? As you can see here, this is a finished example from Roller Coaster Designer, and here is an example from Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 of a finished functioning roller coaster. At the end of designing a roller coaster for Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, students should be able to answer the following. “What is Potential Energy?”, “What is Kinetic Energy?”, “What is the Law of Conservation of Energy?”, “Why is the first hill of your roller coaster the biggest?” “What would be needed to design a roller coaster in which the second or third hill of the roller coaster were the biggest?” Finally this ties in with Maryland’s Voluntary State Curriculum for Physics. Specifically, Indicator 5.1.5, which states “The student will analyze systems with regard to the conservation laws.” This ties in with the assessment limits of conservation of energy which includes the relationship between potential and kinetic including calculations and conversions.
