Futurelab report and recommendations on games and learning

The May edition of the Futurelab newsletter carries a very helpful set of resources for educators and researchers interested in the role of games in learning, produced as part of their Games and Learning programme of research, events and publications. The collection includes:

• a policy recommendations reportby Ben Williamson of Futurelab. This summarises the key arguments for and against games and makes recommendations for ways forward, including the need for further research to develop our evidence base, as well as support and training for teachers. It also recognises the importance of Scotland's Consolarium as a model for a national centre of expertise south of the border.

• a report for educators by Ben Williamson of Futurelab. This report is aimed at teachers, trainers and policy makers. It looks at the eduactional use of commercially available games in schools (rather than 'edutainment packages) and offers a range of case studies. It is 'written as an accessible guide to the rationale and practices of game-based learning, it identifies available evidence from existing research, and supplies some new and previously unpublished research on teachers’ and children’s experiences of using games in classrooms'. It goes on to look at the implications and offers recommendations. And we're delighted to see that our own Adventure Authoris cited as a resource used by teachers, alongside much better-known commercial products such as Myst, SimCity and MissionMaker!

• a survey analysis report by NFER which considered responses to questions covering the following topics: teachers' use of computer games for entertainment and leisure; teachers' use of computer games in the classroom and the hardware; teachers' possible use of computer games in the classroom in the future, and the reasons for this; the consequences of playing computer games, both positive and negative; and perceived barriers to the use of computer games in the classroom. Although around 40% never played computer games themselves, and over 60% never used computer games with children in school, around 60% said they would consider doing so for educational purposes. Clearly there's still a long way to go, with lots of issues to resolve around training, equipment, resources and an understanding of the learning that can take place, but at least it would seem that the majority of the teaching profession might be willing to try! 

• a scenarios poster illustrating some of the ways in which computer games can support learning in schools.

For more information on the work of the Games and Learning programme and to download copies of the reports and poster, visit http://www.futurelab.org.uk/projects/games-and-learning/research. And it seems worth adding here that our own work has much to add to the body of evidence, not least our paper 'Computer Game Design: Opportunities for Successful Learning'!

You can read the full May Futurelab newsletter at http://newsletter.futurelab.org.uk/58/ - and go to the bottom of their page to find details of how to subscribe. 

Comments

[Jodie]

I have seen a tremendous increase in my son's learning just from the short 45 minute of computer lab he receives at his school. He is only in the 2nd grade but he really enjoys working with math problems that captivate his interest with animated problems. He thinks its fun and he feels as though he is playing games rather than learning.