Digital Game-BasedLanguage Learning

BRAZ TESOL Technology Seminarhttp://braz-tesol.org.br/TechnologySeminar - 17th-18th July 2015

graham.stanley@britishcouncil.org

http://www.slideshare.net/bcgstanley/ http://www.digitalplay.info/blog

Computer games and language aims

http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/

http://www.deltapublishing.co.uk/titles/methodology/digital-play

Why digital games?

http://www.theoryoffun.com/

http://artofgamedesign.com/

There are 1 million gamers in UK

Average young person in UK will spend 10,000 hours gaming by the age of 21*

*Jane McGonigal - Reality is broken

Why digital games?

Give examples of things you have learnt with technology that are not related to school work

Computer games offer learning opportunities

http://milesberry.net/?p=476#more-476

Computer games offer learning opportunities

What is your favourite thing you do with technology at home

http://milesberry.net/?p=476#more-476

No computers

http://hero.wikia.com/wiki/Mario

Interactive Fiction and teaching English as a foreign language IF Only: http://www.theswanstation.com/wordpress/

Colossal Cave (1975) 9:05 (2012)

http://adamcadre.ac/if/905.html

One computer, one game

http://www.amc.com/shows/halt-and-catch-fire/colossal-cave-adventure/landing

http://playspent.org

http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/2011/04/15/another-interactive-text-adventure-spent/

Demand High Speakingwith a digital game

http://pencilkids.com/droppygame.html

http://demandhighelt.wordpress.com/

Now describe the five images to your

partner as best you can

a) Can I have a volunteer to describe

the first image?

b) Does anyone have a better description?

Multiple computers, one game

www.bubblebox.com/play/adventure/1747.htm

The aim of the game : The learners predict what to do with a list of pairs of game objects, check their answers by playing the game and then write down the answers using the passive voice.

Prepare to play: Choose an adventure game and start playing it. As you play, make a note of what you do with the objects that appear in the game (or use the walkthrough to save time) and produce a list similar to the example below. Make a copy of this list for each learner. You will also need to use online dictionaries.

Play: Hand out the list of objects and tell the learners they are to guess how they are used together in the game. Ask the learners to talk together in groups of three and to use the online dictionaries to find out the meaning of the words they do not understand. After fifteen minutes, stop them and ask them to tell you what they think the relationship is between each pair of objects in the game: e.g. I think you use the hairpin to open the shed, etc. They then play the game together. The game should be easier to play because they know which objects they need to use together, but if they get stuck, encourage them to read the walkthrough to find out what to do next. Finally, once they have played the game (or part of the game if it's long), ask them to look again at the pairs of words and to write about them. Encourage the use of the passive voice here: e.g. The hairpin is used to open the shed, etc.

Play on: The learners can continue playing the game and finish off writing passive sentences about the objects.

www.bubblebox.com/play/adventure/1747.htm

Finding and using a walkthrough

http://jayisgames.com/archives/2010/04/hetherdale.php#walkthrough

Escape the room games

Multiple computers, multiple games

Gap fill for vocabulary / grammar

Relay reading

Jigsaw reading

Information gap

Samorost 2

Live listening

The Viridian Room

“Now when you lift the waste-paper basket, youshould see a lighter underneath. Pick it up and then move to the kitchen and open the fridge again.”

Observe and write

Observe / vocabulary

“What should we do? Stay in or go out?”

“Shall we listen to some music?”

“What do you want to do now?”

Watch and say

Listening/ questioning

“So, the squirrel has stolen your crisps?What are you going to do now?

Well, why don't you try looking at the Bookcase to see if there's somethingThere to help you?”

Procedure and practicalities

learner grouping – pairs or groups use hand-outs – clear instructions / task teacher uses game guide (walkthrough) encourage use of English during computer use

learners explore, examine and pick up objects

pause game and reflect on puzzles together those who solve puzzle tell whole class discuss where they been and what seen authentic information gap activity

Further Reading: Game-Based Language Learning

Mawer & Stanley (2011) Digital Play http://www.deltapublishing.co.uk/titles/methodology/digital-play

Reinders (ed.) (Palgrave, 2012) Digital Games in Language Learning and Teaching

Sykes & Reinhardt (Pearson, 2013) Language at Play: Digital Games in Second and Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

Further Reading: Game-Based Learning

Bartle (New Riders, 2004) Designing Virtual Worlds

Gee (Palgrave, 2003) What Digital Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy

Gee (Routledge, 2004) Situated Language and Learning: A critique of traditional schooling

Gee (Peter Lang, 2007) Good Video Games + Good Learning: Collected Essays

Gee (Common Ground, 2005) Why video games are good for your soul

Prensky (Paragon House, 2001) Digital game-based learning

Prensky (Paragon House, 2006) Don't Bother Me Mom – I'm Learning!

Thank you!Any questions?

http://www.deltapublishing.co.uk

http://www.digitalplay.info/blog