We live in a time of educational transformations towards more 21st century pedagogies and learning. In the digital age children and young people need to learn critical thinking, creativity and innovation and the ability to solve complex problems and challenges. Traditional pedagogies are in crisis and many pupils experience school as both boring and irrelevant. As a response educators and researchers need to engage in transforming education through the invention of new designs in and for learning. This book explores how games can provide new ideas and new designs for future education. Computer games have become hugely popular and engaging, but as is apparent in this book, games are not magical solutions to making education more engaging, fun and relevant.
Games and Education explores new designs in and for learning and offer inspiration to teachers, technologists and researchers interested in changing educational practices. Based on contributions from Scandinavian researchers, the book highlights participatory approaches to research and practice by providing more realistic experiences and models of how games can facilitate learning in school.
Hans Christian Arnseth is Professor of Learning and Digital Technologies at the University of Oslo. Currently he is head of research at the Department of Education. In his research he studies the various ways digital technologies transform learning, cognition and identity across formal and informal contexts.
Thorkild Hanghøj is an Associate Professor in game-based learning at Aalborg University, where he co-directs the Center for Applied Game Research (CEAGAR). His research focuses on the educational use and design of games with special emphasis on game-related literacy practices and the role of the teacher in facilitating games.
Thomas Duus Henriksen is an Associate Professor in Internal Communication and Organisational Processes at Aalborg University. His research focuses on how organisational processes and development is mediated through the use of tools, learning games, and other artefacts that affect how an organisation functions, and has been published in Development and Learning in Organizations.
Robert Ramberg earned his PhD in cognitive psychology at the department of psychology, Stockholm University and holds a position as Professor at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University (Technology Enhanced Learning and Collaboration). Ramberg also holds a position as research director at the Swedish Air Force Simulation Center (FLSC), Swedish Defense Research Agency.
Staffan Selander is PhD and Senior Professor in Didactic Science at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University. A major part of Selander’s research during the last 10 years has focused on designs for learning, knowledge representations and digital learning environments, including games for learning.
Foreword James Paul Gee Preface Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors
Introduction: Scandinavian Perspectives Hans Christian Arnseth, Thorkild Hanghøj, Thomas Duus Henriksen, Morten Misfeldt, Robert Ramberg and Staffan Selander
Part 1: Designs in Learning
1. Digital Games and Simulations for Learning Staffan Selander, Victor Lim Fei, Mats Wiklund and Uno Fors
2. Unpacking the Domains and Practices of Game-Oriented Learning Thorkild Hanghøj, Morten Misfeldt, Jeppe Bundsgaard and Simon Skov Fougt
3. Game-Based Learning in the Dialogical Classroom: Videogames for Collaborative Reasoning about Morality and Ethics in Citizenship Education Filipa de Sousa
4. Designing for Increased Participation by Using Game-Informed Learning and Role Play: Pupils as Co-Researchers in a Study on Democracy Johanna Öberg
5. Stories about History: Exploring Central Elements When Students Design Game Narratives Kristine Øygardslia
Part 2: Designs for Learning
6. A Theory of Play Dynamics Jari Due Jessen and Carsten Jessen
7. Games as Tools for Dialogic Teaching and Learning: Outlining a Pedagogical Model for Researching and Designing Game-Based Learning Environments Hans Christian Arnseth, Thorkild Hanghøj and Kenneth Silseth
8. Learning and Design Processes in a Gamified Learning Design: Students Creating Curriculum-Based Digital Learning Games Charlotte Lærke Weitze
9. Designing with Teachers: Contrasting Teachers’ Experiences of the Implementation of a Gamified Application for Foreign Language Learners Caroline Cruaud
10. Group Processes in Learning Games for Adults Thomas Duus Henriksen
11. Motivated Learning through Production-Oriented Game Development Henrik Schoenau-Fog, Lise Busk Kofoed, Lars Reng and Olga Timcenko
Index
All interested in using games for educational purposes. The book is particularly aimed at graduate students, researchers, teacher educators and consultants working within the field of games and learning.