There are many views surrounding the use of computer games in the classroom. Some argue that computer games are a valuable asset to the education sector while others are skeptical about this view. The truth is that people have changed the way they interact in the 21st Century and technology has played an important role. According to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2009, only twenty-six percent of U.S. students scored above level 4 (level 4 refers to the ability to complete higher order tasks) in the area of mathematics. This is lower that 32 percent of students in the other 33 countries assessed (Lemke, Sen, Pahlke, Partelow, Miller, Williams, Kastberg, & Jocelyn, 2004). With these statistics in mind, we come to the conclusion that there is deficit in the teaching/learning process of critical thinking skills in the area of mathematics. This study will examine the use of a computer game in the classroom as a mean to increase the critical thinking skills in mathematics. Three schools will be participating in this study with 20 students from each school. There will be a total sample of 60 participants. The students will be administered the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) as a pre/post test. The students will participate in a 30-minute tutorial class. The treatment group will be using a computer game to enhance their mathematical critical thinking skills for a period of 12 weeks. The expected results should demonstrate an increase of scores in the post-test from the treatment group compared to the comparison groups. Computer Games: An Approach to Increase Critical Thinking in Mathematics In recent years technology has changed the way people interact with one another. The advancements of te... ... middle of paper ... ...motivate today's technology-dependent students. Journal Of Stem Teacher Education, 48(1), 7-12. Retrieved on ------- from ERIC database Przybylski, A. K., Rigby, C. S., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). A motivational model of video game engagement. Review of General Psychology, 14(2), 154. Retrieved on ------- from ERIC database Trespalacios, J., Chamberlin, B., & Gallagher, R. R. (2011). Collaboration, engagement & fun: How youth preferences in video gaming can inform 21st century education. Techtrends: Linking Research And Practice To Improve Learning, 55(6), 49-54. Retrieved on ------- from ERIC database Young, M. F., Slota, S., Cutter, A. B., Jalette, G., Mullin, G., Lai, B., ... & Yukhymenko, M. (2012). Our princess is in another castle a review of trends in serious gaming for education. Review of Educational Research, 82(1), 61-89. Retrieved on ------- from ERIC database
Adachi, Paul J.C. and Willoughby, Teena. “Do Video Games Promote Positive Youth Development?” Journal of Adolescent Research 28.2 (2012): 155-165. Web. 12
Video games have become a hot topic recently. There have been a lot of controversy over whether to play or not to play. The controversy is due to them being arguably more captivating than all other forms of entertainment. Video games narrate an epic tale like no other form of entertainment can. You can become immersed in video games, because of this they are both a highly entertaining escape from the real world and a complete waste of time.
Researchers, however, have found that gaming may not be completely bad for adolescents. A recent study by Paul J.C. Adachi and Teena Willoughby points out that video gaming may satisfy the same criteria for positive youth development as traditional organized activities such as sports, music or clubs. In direct contrast to this analogy, they demonstrate that there may be significant social benefits of gaming, that adolescents are motivated to play video games and that this type of play requires concentration and mental effort (Adachi and
“The objective of video games are to entertain people by surprising them with new experience” (Shigeru Miyamoto).Video games have been a leisure activity for many people around the world but for some people it has become a way of life. Video games help us escape everyday life and bring us to a land of imagination. That is why many people play video games because it is a great way to relieve stress. Video games have many benefits than just being fun. Not only are video games shown to have positive effects on the individual if used in the right manner, but it also helps to connect people with common interest; bring a sense of community. It is also a resourceful way to find a career path. The components
Did you know playing video games helps children with their education? A good video game will teach problem solving, math, history, or anything else a parent wants their children to learn. Children that play video games are more educational than those that do not play video games. In this paper you will experience the positive and negative impact video games have on children and teens.
“How Games Make Kids Smarter” a Ted-Talk by Gabe Zichermann, is a perfect example of the advantages that video games offer towards students. The Ted-Talk focussed on how educational video games are being used within a classroom setting, the results were very impressive. A below average 3rd grade class was offered a different way of learning, video games. Zichermann speaks clearly about the attention span of a student with traditional learning style versus the video game based learning, it was a dramatic increase. Many of the students believed that school was more fun learning this way and were excited to attend school. Within the 18 weeks that the students were using this video game based learning, the below average 3rd graders were now reading at a 5th grade level. Zichermann believes this way of learning is the future of teaching. “Many schools have already moved towards a more technology based learning, with schools offering computers for students as well as other devices, this is only the start of the future.” Zichermann says. Video games are the future of the classroom and can really make a difference, they increase attention span, make learning enjoyable, and overall can help the development of
Video games based on learning are quickly becoming known as “the new frontier of learning.” Many children who have learning disabilities have an easier time learning basic skills from playing games rather than looking through a textbook. When learning is disguised as a fun pastime, children are more likely to welcome it. Video games can be utilized in school to influence children into becoming more comfortable with their own knowledge. In some cases, children feel incompetent to their peers because they are not as gifted in math or writing. By using video games, students are not expected to compete with their classmates, so they will become confident and outgoing which, in turn, will show their true talents. A group of researchers at the University of New York conducted an experiment with a group of students that were assigned to play video games competitively or on their own. Through performing this test, they concluded that those who chose to play competitively, or on their own both had an increased final score because they were able to play at their own leisure ("Educational Video Games Can Boost Motivation to Learn.", 2013). Observing how video games can help both gifted children, as well as the individuals who are struggling, is evidence that video games can be as useful as they are
People have the fundamental desire to maintain strong connections with others. Through logic and reasoning, Sherry states, “But what do we have, now that we have what we say we want, now that we have what technology makes easy?”(Turkle). Face to face conversations are now mundane because of the accessibility to interact at our fingertips, at free will through text, phone calls and social media. Belonging, the very essence of a relationship has now become trivial.
After realizing how addicting games could be, two professors from the University of Utah wanted to know the reason why people get into games. In 2008, these professors examined 152 high school students. When asked for reasons for why they played games, they all differentiated. These reasons consisted of excitement, mastery, having nothing else to do, having friends who play and also just to make them feel better. These reasons to play are relative to all level of
Currently, video games are a part of the lives of nearly all children. Video games are an element of modern life and have a lasting impact. There are various opinions regarding the impact that video games have on young children. For example there are those who believe that video games cause nothing but harm to children. On the other hand, there are others who believe that video games effectively support children’s learning. Educational video games offer children endless options and change the way students are learning.
Mathematics can be concrete and use reason as a way of knowing. These are learned concepts with repetitive procedure. Critical thinking is a type of reasoning that uses logic that will never deviate. The early concepts of mathematics taught in schools are thought to be concrete with fixed steps and formulas for solving problems. One only has to think about the steps previously taught and accept them to be true. The concepts can only be accepted to be true by using the skills to process and generate information and belief. The use of the skills as an “exercise” with no meaning or understanding is not critical thinking however. It is always believed that the area of a right triangle is one half the base times the height. Reasoning can be used through the drawing of a grid to prove this formula to be true. Therefore, mathematics uses critical thinking as a way of known skills to guide behavior based on intellectual commit...
Video games are no longer the uprising form of media that ill informed parents and scientists used to fear; video games are now an established form of entertainment that is just as universally accepted as film or literature. The difference between videogames and mediums like film and literature is that they do not have the higher value that books have in exercising the mind and communicating information, nor do they have the value that films have to intellectually challenge an audience and to make people think. This is the general argument that can be heard voiced by leading intellectuals in various field as well as parents who are rising young children; both claim that videogames
There have been several studies conducted on learning and serious games, for example, a recent study by the Office of Naval Research found that video game players performed ten to twenty percent better in perceptual and cognitive ability than non-game players, and that video games helped adults process information faster(Steinberg,2012). Another study by the Federation of American Scientists found that students re...
The experience of game play can be described as an activity in which the player is virtually embodied in the game world. Anyone who has experienced the world of gaming knows how the engaging experience can manifest itself with “sweaty palms and chills down the spine” (http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/viewArticle/80/147) when coming face-to-face with alien creatures; or with the adrenaline rush we get when racing a high speed automobile head-to-head with a friend. Gaming is an excellent source of entertainment. It provides an opportunity for social growth, provides a meaningful form of exploring expression, and provides heightened sensitivity.
There are several negative stereotypes associated with video games and those who play them; some of these may often hold true. However, there are plenty of learning opportunities in video games. While the direct purpose of some games is to educate or train, other games that do not directly have this purpose can still become a learning experience for the player. As Ntiedo Etuk, president of the educational video game company Tabula Digital said, “The traditional view of video games has been that they are distractions from the task of learning” (Electronic Education Report 1). Video games are an effective tool for learning and retaining skills both inside and outside the classroom environment. The basic cycle of game play--the introduction to the game, game play, collaboration, improvement of these between each round, and evaluation at the end of the game (Klievink and Janssen 159)--are nearly parallel to the traditional classroom learning cycle of reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, taking a quiz, studying, focusing on items missed on the quiz, and taking a test or exam. Within this cycle, there are many opportunities to develop and perfect both educational, life, and occupational skills.