The products of the study will include a final study report, based on a survey completed by teachers across Europe and in-depth interviews with key policy-makers and experts working in this area, as well as an online community of practice and a handbook to support teacher practice. The teachers' survey examines the contextual environment for the integration of games in school education, their current uptake and use by teachers and learners, barriers to their use and examples of good practice. The teachers' survey is open to all European teachers, and will remain open until the end of November 2008. The survey exists in the eight languages of the focus countries (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Estonian and Lithuanian), and can be accessed online or in word format from the games blog, at: http://games.eun.org. By taking part in the survey teachers have the chance to win Xbox 360 Elites and video games.

An overview of what is at stake: the literature review

In preparation for the Games in School study, European Schoolnet commissioned Maja and Paul Pivec, two experts working in the area, to write a comprehensive literature review on games-based learning in Europe. The literature review is organized into three sections: the first section summarizes the available literature in the field of games-based learning, with a particular focus on the relation to teaching in the classroom; section two provides specific examples of the use of games-based learning within the curriculum; and section three analyses the characteristics of electronic games and suggests how they can be used to support the learning process. A complete reference section is included as well as a glossary of game terminology, and some suggestions for useful resources.

The literature review reveals that research tells us that the uptake of games-based learning in schools has been slow, with the major barriers being teachers’ lack of knowledge concerning how to use electronic games, the lack of time available to adapt the game for use within the curriculum, and a lack of adequate technology in schools. Games-based learning can be a supportive pedagogical tool and can supplement traditional learning. To achieve desired learning outcomes (knowledge-based, skill-based, or affective), the correct choice of game for a selected topic, a conducive environment, and the teacher’s guidance via moderation and debriefing, are essential.

Students are critical of educational games as they do not meet the high quality standards of commercial recreational games. Modifying commercial games and allowing students to design their own, have become popular measures taken to resolve this issue. As games can be used outside the classroom, they provide an ideal platform for study aids and to assist with learning impairments. Games for learning vary from single player games to multi-player games, and different types of games have different sets of features which need to be considered in respect to how they are applied in education. Issues that need to be addressed include amongst other factors, technical requirements, licensing policies, and sustainability. The full literature review can also be accessed form the games blog, at: http://games.eun.org.

National coordinators meet in Paris as work on the Games in School study progresses

On 8 October 2008 the National Coordinators from 5 of the Games in School study's focus countries (France, Denmark, Austria, Italy and Spain), together with external experts, teachers and European Schoolnet colleagues involved in the project, met to discuss the progress of the study's different components. The meeting provided participants with a better understanding of the situation of games based learning in different national contexts. It was also an opportunity to benefit from the excellent presentations from teachers and researchers working in the area of games-based learning, who described their concrete experiences of using games in schools. The occasion allowed for fruitful exchanges between participants, and valuable peer-learning.

Different national contexts for games based learning

The following remarks were made by the national coordinators of the study at the meeting in Paris, regarding their national contexts. In Italy there are no projects or initiatives regarding the use of games in schools at national level, but regional and local initiatives do exist. Similarly in Spain, there is no official endorsement of the use of games in schools at the level of the Ministry, but there are some examples of initiatives to use games in schools by groups of enthusiastic teachers. In Austria the notion of games as a pedagogical tool is not fully culturally accepted. There are also practical barriers to the use of games in schools in Austria concerned with licensing, the installation of games onto computers, and the training and support of teachers.

In France, at the level of general cultural perception, serious games are often not considered to be serious enough to play a significant role in school education, at present. There is a certain amount of general suspicion and reluctance towards integrating their use into the classroom. However, despite there being no formal impetus on games in the education system in France, there has been a growing interest in their use over the past 2-3 years, within the larger context of reforms regarding curriculum content and teaching methods. Serious games are considered to have a potential role in personalized/individualized learning. In terms of the possibility of generalizing the use of games in the classroom, there exists a French law in which innovation and experimentation in teaching and learning are mentioned, as well as key competences in ICT, and in this framework, the use of games could be implemented. Interestingly, there are already a lot of examples of the use of games at pre-primary level in France.

In Denmark although computer games are mentioned in the curriculum, they are mentioned very vaguely and are not officially required to be used by teachers. There is no legal requirement to give access to games to all students in Denmark, and materials and equipment used for teaching and learning is decided at local level, in accordance with the Danish system of education's principle of decentralization, within the limits of a certain budget. In comparison to the other countries described above however, Denmark seems to be quite advanced in terms of culturally accepting the educational potential of integrating the use of electronic games in the classroom, with a certain number of teachers already using games effectively and confidently.

The presentations given by both Danish and French teachers who use games in their classrooms, made clear that electronic games are understood as tools for individualized learning, and also that they could be used as collaborative tools between pupils, between teachers, and between pupils and teachers. They also revealed that computer games are often used to re-introduce classical learning materials, such as books and artworks, and are very useful in helping students to better understand and identify with historical periods. The examples presented also showed that the use of electronic games in the classroom is associated with a redefinition of the teacher's role, as rather than focusing on repetitive 'drill' activities (which games act as a substitute for), they allow teachers to concentrate on other more qualitative learning activities.

There is a need for experienced teachers to better communicate what electronic games are, and how they can be used in the classroom, to inform other teachers and parents of their potential, as they are often put off by their irrational fears. Also apparent from the concrete examples presented of the use of games in the classroom, is the striking difference in approach to games-based learning in France and Denmark. While in France games are solely considered as tools for the improvement of learning, in Denmark they are also considered useful for bringing students into contact with the real world, which requires them to be responsible and critical thinkers.

For access to the national context presentations as well as the presentations from Danish and French teachers describing concrete examples of games use in their classrooms, please see the games blog at http://games.eun.org.

Points of interest raised at the Paris meeting

A psychologist in attendance stated his concern about the use of computer games as a solitary activity. In response to this concern, teachers present remarked that they ensured that games were used in a collaborative way in their classrooms, to maximize the learning benefits from working with peers. Another issue raised concerned the incorrect historical content sometimes conveyed by computer games. It was suggested that a label qualifying the product as containing authentic historical information ought to be something to be considered for the future.

Whether computer games are suitable for all age groups was also discussed. The expert opinion given was that computer games do not have the same educational potential to help the development of very young children, as they do for primary and secondary aged pupils. This is because very young children need to learn about reality and the nature of things by touching real physical objects, before they come into contact with a fictional world. Moreover, before the age of 5/6 years, children should not use computer games involving a mouse, as at this age they have not yet developed the skills to see the screen and move the mouse.

An interesting question was raised as to whether the skills taught by electronic games are in fact the skills that the education system wishes to teach. Some would argue that a large amount of the skills learned through the use of a historical electronic game for example, are those already stated in the history curriculum. In this sense, the skills learned through the use of games are not necessarily new or very different to those required to be taught through the curriculum. The possibility that encouraging the use of games in schools could diminish the amount of time students play games at home, helping to overcome the problem of young people who play excessively in isolation, was also mentioned.

The interactive and collaborative dimensions of computer games were recognized as valuable distinctive features of computer game playing, distinguishing them from engagement in passive media, such as films. The tragic event that took place on the 23rd of September 2008, when a 20 year-old student was responsible for a shooting at a Finnish school, was also reflected upon. It was recognized that the Council of Europe had remarked that the censorship of violent video games was not the solution. They argued rather, that we should raise young people's awareness of reality, work with stakeholders and make game editors and users (as they are often game editors too) more responsible.

Next stages of the study

The different components of the study mentioned in the introduction of this article, are still in progress, and European Schoolnet looks forward to updating this thematic dossier on electronic games in education, in parallel with the study's developments. The final report, providing an in depth analysis of the situation regarding games based learning in the 8 focus countries will be available at the end of February 2008.

Games in schools Blog
http://games.eun.org

Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE)
www.isfe-eu.org

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Web Editor: Lucia Sali
Last changed: Monday, 01 December 2008