Learning and Leading - August 2010

Game Play Is Important for Learning

Mathematics 28 • Multidisciplinary 31 • Tip 31 • Social Studies 32 • Science 34 • English Language Arts 36

learningconnections

How can you engage students and trick them into learning math? We did it using an instructional video game called DimensionM by Tabula Digita.

It’s no secret that kids love games. Today’s popular titles, such as World of Warcraft, Halo 3, The SIMS, and Assassin’s Creed, foster learning and critical thinking. They are increasingly complex, and they require players to invest a lot of time learning both the mechanics of the game and the story line. Many players spend countless hours devising new strategies to improve their performance. Educational games use motor skills, attitude, verbal information, cognitive strategy, and intellectual skills. What more could a teacher ask for?

Playing DimensionM

DimensionM is a highly interactive, first-person-oriented, 3D video game that is similar to popular commercial games, such as Halo and the Unreal Tournament series. The player assumes the role of a college student who lands on a deserted island that was once home to a military biotechnology facility. Experiments on this island have gone awry, and the player must solve various situational dilemmas to escape. Mathematics instruction and practice are integrated into the story line of the game. The player must master certain pre-algebra and algebra skills to progress.

The game features a calculator and a
journal, which allow players to review
the game dialogue as well as the math
concepts. At the close of each mis-
sion, the player takes a quiz, which is
integrated into the game’s story line
that includes both multiple-choice
and short-answer questions about the
mathematics concepts encountered
in the mission. The scores from the
quiz and game play are combined to
calculate an overall mission score. The
player is then rewarded with a gold,
silver, or bronze medal.

Introducing the Study

We used DimensionM with 28 middle school students at a rural school in North Carolina. Each student voluntarily enrolled in an innovative remedial course called Virtual Math, which was designed to bolster the scores of students in grades 6–8 who scored below proficiency on the state math exam. The class met 2½ class periods per week. At the beginning of the Virtual Math course, we had students play the game’s Tutorial and Xeno Island missions.

The Tutorial mission acquaints players with basic navigation in the game world and introduces them to built-in reference tools, including the journal, mission objectives, and math concepts.

The Xeno Island mission addresses the concepts of prime numbers, even and odd rules, and perfect squares. Students begin the mission on Xeno Island behind a locked gate. To unlock the gate, the students must use their “visors” to locate shells on the beach that have a prime number associated with them. In the second phase of the mission, the students must use their visors to locate spider-like robots that can broadcast a radio signal to a nearby console that controls a second

locked gate. Students see a variety of even and odd expressions over the robots. In the third and final phase of Mission 1, students must find a way to cross a chasm to a control station on the other side. The only way to accomplish this is by activating a bridge by collecting power cells nearby that have numbers associated with them that are perfect squares.

We gave students two hours to work through the Tutorial and Xeno Island missions. Students who completed the orientation or the mission early were allowed to play again to improve their overall scores. The course tutor provided technical assistance and encouraged students to use the game’s built-in journal and mathematics resources.

Students continued to progress through DimensionM’s missions, with each class involving about 50 minutes of game play and 25 minutes of debriefing and instruction.