PBL as a Framework for Implementing Video Games in the Classroom

Video games and problem-based learning (PBL) are both significant trends in progressive approaches to education. The literature demonstrates a fit between the two approaches, indicating they may be mutually beneficial. With limited literature on implementing games in the classroom, and a growing body of researchers highlighting the importance of the teacher in mediating game use and maximizing the effectiveness of games for learning, guidance is needed on the role teachers can play in utilizing games in structured environments. PBL has a richer literature base on its effective use, and with its similarities to game-based learning, can inform the effective use of games. In order to assist educators in integrating video games into their curriculum, a video game implementation framework based on PBL principles was developed. The efficacy of utilizing video games for learning in formal and structured learning environments may be improved by integrating PBL guidelines as a framework. DOI: 10.4018/ijgbl.2012010105 78 International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 2(1), 77-89, January-March 2012 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. educational setting. Indeed, video games (hereafter, games) are sometimes promoted as a magical instructional solution where learners cannot help but learn, and the teacher may no longer be necessary. In reality, while further empirical research is necessary and results are mixed, there are studies demonstrating neutral or negative effects on learning from games (Gredler, 1996; Leemkuil et al., 2003; O’Neil et al., 2005), studies that reinforce the call for quality implementation guidelines. In practice, teachers can play a very large and important role in setting goals and promoting reflection by students playing games in formal educational settings (Watson, Mong, & Harris, 2011). While the inherent challenges of implementing games within the sometimes unyielding confines of a classroom learning environment can offer strong impediments to the successful use of games for learning (Squire, 2003; Baek, 2008), the reality is that banishing games to after school programs and home use diminishes the scope of their potential impact and limits the availability of teachers to facilitate learning. It is therefore important to establish an implementation framework to guide the use of games in such structured environments as classrooms. Problem-based learning (PBL) is a progressive approach to instruction focused on contextualized learning and the promotion of problem-solving skills that is a strong theoretical fit with games and offers a deeper research foundation on effective implementation. This article provides a practical framework for how teachers should implement games for learning in formal settings by integrating PBL implementation guidelines. VIDEO GAMES IN THE CLASSROOM Video games have been highlighted for their potential for promoting learning and their fit with learning theories such as situated cognition. Situated cognition theorizes that learning best occurs when learners complete authentic tasks in authentic environments (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989). Game proponents have looked at how games provide rich environments as a context for performing authentic tasks and thereby gaining epistemological knowledge through the playing of a specific role (Gee, 2003; Shaffer, 2006). Furthermore, the interactive nature of games promotes engagement, and when used for learning, supports a learner-centered environment for learners (Prensky, 2002; Watson et al., 2011). However, as previously discussed, it would be overly optimistic to assume that deep learning will occur with games unless the game is implemented using sound instructional practices. Egenfeldt-Nielsen (2008) posits that many educational games are now or need to be what he calls third generation educational games, based on social-cultural, situated learning where the game must effectively fit within existing curriculum and practice. He highlights the teacher as critical for facilitating learning and debriefing. A number of recent articles describe the use of games in classrooms and the role of the instructor in facilitating and promoting learning. In her case study on implementing math education games in the classroom, Ke (2008) found that students often failed to reflect on what was happening in the games, and some students struggled without the support of their teacher. She stresses the importance of an instructor to facilitate games for learning and calls for additional research to discover how to promote engagement through games while also maximizing learning with the interplay of in-game and external instructional activities. Amory (2010) conducted a study focusing on the use of a game as a tool for learning within a collaborative learning environment. A group of facilitators worked to guide learning amongst South African orphans playing a puzzle-oriented health education game. The study found that the game should facilitate the learning process as opposed to being the focus of the activity, and Amory argues that games should be part of a socially collaborative learning activity if they are to be implemented in classrooms. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 2(1), 77-89, January-March 2012 79 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Watson et al. (2011) observed a social studies teacher with years of experience using a game to teach about World War II and saw a teacher heavily involved in facilitating how the game was played while managing an engaging, learner-centered environment. The teacher noted how when he initially utilized the game, students did not reflect on their actions and took actions in the game that were not conducive to learning or succeeding in the game. His revised methods of using the game involved students working in groups, his promoting reflection by stopping gameplay and calling attention to events in the game, and grading students on how well they followed the objectives of the country they played during the game. Echeverria et al. (2011) noted the importance of planning for implementation in their video game design and implementation framework that they utilized to design and develop an educational video game. The framework, however, focused primarily on game design and planning for implementation and did not stress the preparation of the teacher for effectively facilitating the game. Their later study highlighted this issue as they found initial feedback on the implementation of their educational video game indicated the need to more clearly define the role of the teacher and concluded that the teacher as a mediator of the game is highly important for effective learning (Villalta et al., 2011). They revised their framework for designing games for the classroom to include a flexible structure, allowing “the teacher, who is the game moderator and guides the flow of actions, to adjust the game to the actual participation of the students in the classroom” (p. 2044). This need for a flexible structure to support teachers as they manage the use of a game in the classroom was also identified by Watson (2010) when interviewing teachers as part of the design activities of a game meant for use in social studies classrooms. The teachers interviewed expressed concern over how the structure of the school day and required curriculum created challenges to their effective use of games. Through these interviews, it was determined that not only was a flexible design needed for the game but that external pedagogical support materials should be designed alongside the game to support teachers implementing the game in different ways and in different contexts. These studies illustrate continued recognition of the importance of external pedagogical supports to maximize the learning outcomes from games. As previously mentioned, numerous studies exist that demonstrate that games do not guarantee learning will occur, and this has led to calls for an examination of how games can best be supported. Despite these calls, little exists in the literature that addresses this issue. Futurelab generated a list of questions from a series of case studies on the use of games in the classroom in the United Kingdom that educators should ask when planning to implement games in the classroom (Sandford, Ulicsak, Facer, & Rudd, 2007), including identifying learning objectives, planning for reflection, and assessing learning gains. These questions are useful but limited in their guidance. It is our belief that problem-based learning is well suited as a framework for how to implement games in structured learning environments, such as classrooms. The following section will illustrate the strong fit between games and PBL, and how each can complement the other.