Games for
Learning
Andy Griffith
Outline for the session
Can we explore:
1. The importance of play in
learning?
2. Different types of games?
3. Managing students before, during
and after games?
4. Unpicking the learning from
games?
5. Build your confidence in the using,
adapting and devising games?
Emotionally mature people are:
AUTHENTIC
VIVACIOUS
PLAYFUL
Affluenza by Oliver James
Playing games
All games gave
a distinct
STRUCTURE
and RULES
Speed Dating Hopes Analysis
Games for different
personalities!
Personality Types
Types of Games
Creative thinking games
Problem-solving games
Strategy Games
Mystery games
Decision making games
Communication games
Energising games
Story games
Question games
Concentration games
Language games
Number games
Memory games
Known to the Unknown
First start off with
something they know
and can make a positive
association with.
Facts in Five
FOOD
M
A
L
I
T
DRINK
BOOK
SINGER
MEN
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy
EVALUATION
Making judgements. Assessing the value of something against a
set of criteria (Judge, Recommend, Evaluate, Prioritise, Give
opinions)
SYNTHESIS
Using old ideas to create something new. Relate knowledge from
different sources (Design, Compose, Create, Hypothesise, Rearrange)
ANALYSIS
Seeing patterns, Understanding how parts relate to the whole.
Recognising structure (Investigate, Classify, Compare, Contrast)
APPLICATION
Using knowledge to solve problems (Make, Build, Demonstrate,
Map, Draw)
COMPREHENSION
Understanding information. Grasping meaning (Give examples,
Explain, Show)
KNOWLEDGE
Observing and recalling information. (Tell,Recite, Make a list,
What …?)
Facts in Five
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Known to the Unknown
First: start off with something they
know and can make a positive
association with.
Then: teacher applies this to a
topic.
Then: student applies.
Tarsia
andy@malit.org.uk
www.malit.org.uk
Free Stuff!
ENTRY (Thinking) GAMES
ODD ONE OUT
WORDLES/DINGBATS
THINKING ABCs
MORAL DILEMMAS
a=3
b=2
c=5
d = 10
e=4
baa
a+b+c+d
+e
1000
cd
b+e+d
ad - 12
ce
d
e²+b² - a²
b+a+b+e
6e + 7d
(abc)+ d²
cab
8c – 8a
ba+ba
b+e+ad
b²+c²
3de
c
be – b
12a + 5c
bead
e + b²
3c³
abc²
(da)²
abc – d
3d
bee
(da)² + da²
bed
bad
de+da
dee
deb
d²
caca
7e + 7c
ccd
d+eb²
2a + 3b +
4c
ab+ba
(abc)²
ce + da
b+a+d
8d - a²
5bc
d²+5c
9b²
5d
b
da²
a³
Take turns to pick a square and calculate the value of the expression. Try to be the
first player to connect four in a row. Then try to be the player with the most squares!
Total
catch
Living Graphs
Overfishing
Time
Can’t Play; Won’t Play
Who won’t play and why?
Motivational Styles/Deficits
Learned Helplessness
(Seligman, 1975)
High self-worth concern
and the threatened sense
of self (Covington, 1984):
“What’s the point? I’m
going to fail ANYWAY.”
“I’m not doing this, it’s
rubbish”
Students do not persist or
take chances.
Fear being seen as
incompetent.
When they fail they
Personalise it, think it will
be Pervasive, and think it
will be Permanent.
Prefer to be seen as rude and
abusive rather than having
their ability called into
question.
Games for Ideas
“If at first, the idea is
not absurd, then there
is no hope for it.”
Albert Einstein
Some Ground rules, maybe?
• “We encourage everyone to
contribute ideas.”
• “We give reasons for our ideas
and opinions.”
• “We can disagree with others but
we treat other people’s ideas with
respect.”
• “We are prepared to change our
minds but we don’t have to.”
• “We work with our group
members and teachers to learn.”
Contracts
• Group and Individual
• Example: ABCDEF
Ask Questions
Be Open
Communicate
Do Your best
Enjoy yourself (and let others enjoy themselves)
Freeze on command!
Sign _______________
Motivational Triggers
(why people want to learn)
•
•
•
•
•
Choice
Challenge
Curiosity
Competency
Positive
expectations
•
•
•
•
•
Fun
Fantasy
Relationships
Relevance
Fear/Thrill
Playing Games
First: CONTAIN
Then: ENTERTAIN
Then: EXPLAIN
Ian Gilbert – Essential Motivation
Creating the playful classroom
Group Norms for your classroom/learning area?
1
2
3
USA
4
UK
PIMP YOUR LESSON
Before
After
3 Minute Motivators - Steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Cue to gain attention.
Explain why motivator being used.
Explain the activity.
Remind students to begin and freeze on cue.
Cue to begin.
Present the 3 Minute Motivator.
Cue to Stop.
Conclude and refocus by summarising what
was done and why.
Step 2
Explain why the motivator is being used:
“I have lost you…”
“You seem restless…”
“I can see you need a break…”
“You seem to need some talk time…”
Step 8
Conclude and refocus by summarising
what was done and why:
“We were all a bit restless so we just played _______. Now that
you’ve used up a bit of energy its time to return to…”
“You seemed sleepy and many of you were losing attention so
we played _______. Now that you’re awake…”
“I felt we needed a quick break so we played _______. Okay
now back to …”
3 Minute Motivators - examples
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Questions only
Physical ‘jerks’
Personal Best
Verbal Tennis
Shared pen and Double
pen games
Box me in!
Karate time
Story Games
Get Shirty
Chinese Whispers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Silent Maths
Syllables
Charade Challenge
X-Factor
Beat the Teacher
Speed Dating
Back to back, Walk-Stop
Continuum
Rapidough
Unusual images
Imagine If…
Mystery
Games
CONSENSUS on “Generation Y”
‘Boomers’
‘Idealist’
‘Civic’
Gen. X
1943 – 63
1964 – 81
Gen. Y
‘Millennials’
1982 – 2001
2001 – 2022?
‘Reactive’
‘Adaptive’
Howe & Strauss, 1991
Encouraging Deeper Thinking
• POINT = 1 point
• BECAUSE = 2 points
• THEREFORE = 3 points
• HOWEVER = 4 points
Be able to answer a Question well
More wisdom than professors!
“It ain’t what you
do; it’s the way
that you do it –
that’s what gets
results.”
Bananarama