Games in Education

Games and Simulations in Education

For half of my day I teach a 3-hour adult ESL class.  Students’ goal in this class is to pass the Casas reading test and increase their overall English skills so they can start taking GED courses.  For the first 30 minutes of class students study grammar skills using a computer program called Skills Tutor.  Skills Tutor is very educational but can be boring after some time.  Currently the students are learning about the differences between antonyms, synonyms and homonyms.  On 2/27/14 students played the game Word Frog for a warm-up activity instead of using Skills Tutor and it was a huge success.  Students voiced their excitement about how fun the game was and that they learned new words.  In the process they also demonstrated the difference between antonyms, synonyms and homonyms by completing all the levels in the game.  I found this game when I was reviewing Joseph Wollenburg’s blog (Thanks Joe).  

Link to Game:   http://www.abcya.com/antonyms_synonyms_homonyms.htm

Mini Lesson Plan

Purpose:

To be able to identify the difference between antonyms, synonyms and homonyms and introduce new vocabulary words. 

Assess learner outcomes:

All students start out with identifying synonyms.  Once students have earned their certificate for completing all six synonym they show the teacher they have completed a section.  Once this is done students can move on to the antonyms section.  The process is then repeated again when students move to homonyms. 

Change in Lesson Plan:

The original lesson included students using a vocabulary computer program called skills tutor.  In skills tutor there are no games, students are challenged through reading passages and then answering questions. Instead of using Skills Tutor for a warm-up activity I used Word Frog.  The smartboard was used to demonstrate how to play the game.  This was helpful because many students came late to class so I ended up repeating myself.  Eventually I just stood up by the smartboard and when a student walked into class we would play level one together before they worked individually.  Students could only use laptops to play this game because Ipad devices do not support Adobe Flash Player.   

Assure Model

Assure Model

Analyze Learners: 

-General Characteristics:

·      Students most students are below average readers and writers required for high school academia

·      Around 25% of the class English is a secondary language. 

·      Mix of students have learning disabilities, teen parents or are not living at home with their parents

·      Students have trouble meeting deadlines

-Learning Styles:

·      Students dislike having to read for the entire class period or writing assignments by hand.

·      Students like to listen to music when given individual work time

·      Some students participate more when involved in a group assignment

State Standards and Objectives:

·      9.2.3.3.1 Identify the incentives and trade- offs related to a choice made by an individual, household, organization or government; describe the opportunity cost of a choice; and analyze the consequences of a choice (both intended and unintended).

·      TLW explain how unlimited wants and scarce resources influence decision-making.

·      TLW distinguish goods and services, factors of production, and tradeoffs visible in common places and everyday situations.

·      TLW apply an economic way of thinking to their own lives.

Select Strategies: 

·      Show students Notebook guide visual 2.1 that explains fictional scenario typical Friday night for a high school student.

·      Students will pair up and decided how they will allocate their resources if it was a Friday for them

·      A class discussion will be held to help us identify what people valued and why. 

·      The teacher explains that students just experienced the problem of scarcity.  Scarcity forces people to make decisions like those made during the activity.

·      Students are assigned sections 1 -2 two readings from chapter 2.  Students are responsible submitting answers about the readings via Nakiu. 

Utilize Technology, Media and Materials:

·      In this the teacher will need a computer hooked up to a projector/smartboard.  Visual 2.1 will be shown to the class and introduce the lesson.  Students will have the last 20 minutes to begin their homework.  During this time students can submit answers to Naiku using a personal device, school Ipad or School laptop. 

Required learner participation:

·      Students must work with a partner to discover what is most important way to spend their time on a Friday night.

·      Students must complete readings and questions via Naiku. 

Evaluate and Revise:

·      The lesson was a success.  Students identified what was a most important to them on a Friday night and the opportunity cost of their decisions.  Next time I would like to share document 2.1 as a PDF through Google Docs, Dropbox or email.  Allowing students to have the laptops up and running before they are given work time will allow for a more seamless transition between activities.  Also it will save time, which allows students get more homework done in class.