SUPERCHARGING FEEDBACK TO PROPEL STUDENT...

SUPERCHARGING FEEDBACK TO PROPEL STUDENT LEARNING:

The Power of Digital Games By Cameron White, Esteban Sosnik, and Gayle Allen

In collaboration with:

SUPERCHARGING FEEDBACK TO PROPEL STUDENT LEARNING: THE POWER OF DIGITAL GAMES

CONTENTSFeedback and digital game-based learning..........................................................3

Immediate feedback: Communicating information in real-time.......................4

Formative feedback: In-process learning data and actionable insights........6

Peer-to-peer feedback: User-generated content and social interaction.....7

Conclusion............................................................................................................9

About the Authors .....................................................................................................10

Contact .........................................................................................................................10

References.........................................................................................................11

3 www.playcolab.com | www.brightbytes.net |

Inside and outside the classroom, learning is profoundly shaped by feedback—information provided to students about their performance or understanding. Feedback can take many forms —from letter grades to push

notifications —varying according to its source as well as its effects: “A teacher or parent can provide corrective information, a peer can provide an alternative strategy, a book can provide information to clarify ideas”(Hattie & Timperley, 2007).

Ideally, feedback answers three questions: “Where am I going? How am I going? and Where to next?”(Hattie & Timperley, 2007). By addressing these various dimensions of learning, an environment can empower students to “confirm, add to, overwrite, tune, or restructure” their knowledge, beliefs and strategies(Winne & Butler, 1994). These skills are important because they help children develop self-regulation, a key step toward taking control of their own learning(Nichol & MacFarlane-Dick, 2006). Against this backdrop, digital game designers are creating tools and content that offer new possibilities for supporting children’s cognitive growth(Iacovides, et al, 2011). Building on time-tested instructional techniques, these developers are “supercharging” immediate, formative and peer-to-peer feedback to make learning more adaptive and flexible to individual student needs while helping teachers and parents become more engaged with children’s digital experiences.

FEEDBACK AND DIGITAL GAME-BASED LEARNING

Throughout childhood, a diverse array of digital content plays an important part in students’ academic and social development. Games are likely to fill an important role within this ecosystem—on average, children spend more than 13 hours per week playing video games(Greenberg, et al 2010), compared to less than five hours per week completing homework(Loveless, 2014). In addition, an increasing proportion of teachers are recognizing the value of game-based learning in the classroom —nearly three-quarters of K-8 teachers in the United States use digital games for

“A teacher or parent can provide corrective information, a peer can provide an alternative strategy, a book can provide information to clarify ideas”Hattie & Timperley, 2007


“Immediate feedback keeps students focused on learning goals while they are still striving to achieve them and also allows them to “make connections between what they do and the results” Brookhart, 2008

instruction, and almost 80% agree that games can help improve struggling students’ mastery of curricular content and skills(Takeuchi & Vaala, 2014).

In addition to holding the potential to increase engagement4 game-based learning is particularly well-suited to deliver feedback. Recent advances in mobile, social and cloud technologies translate into new types of interactions with devices, new channels through which feedback can be delivered, and new types of data to be collected and analyzed. There are important legal and ethical challenges to consider—especially related to student privacy(Finch, 2014). Nevertheless the near ubiquity of game-enabled devices(Lenhart, et al, 2008) and their potential to motivate and connect students, make it essential to work through these complexities.

IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK: COMMUNICATING INFORMATION IN REAL-TIME

In order to be effective, feedback must be “received by students while it still matters to them”(Gibbs, 2010). While getting stuck is a natural part of any learning process—especially when it comes to building new skills—children can more readily work through challenges with the support of prompt, directed feedback that is relevant to the task at hand. Immediate feedback keeps students focused on learning goals while they are still striving to achieve them(Brookhart), and also allows them to “make connections between what they do and the results(Dean, et al, 2012).Equally important, immediate feedback can guide teachers to make effective instructional decisions based on students’ knowledge as it develops in real-time.

Learning Games Studios’ Econauts and Motion Math’s teacher dashboard offer two thoughtful examples of the power of immediate feedback. In the case of Econauts—a real-time strategy game that makes difficult-to-observe ecological phenomena visible—students harvest raw resources, create material goods and manage ecological


“Immediate feedback is especially effective for teaching procedural skills and can help prepare students to apply what they learn in the real world.”Dean et al., 2012

consequences. In order to successfully work through these complex challenges, players must consider a wide range of information, which is displayed visually on the user interface and updated in real-time [fig. 1]. In addition to making gameplay more engaging, this type of immediate feedback is especially effective for teaching procedural skills(Dean, et al., 2012) and can help prepare students to apply what they learn in the real world.

Real-time data can also help educators deliver instruction more effectively. Motion Math—which has created a series of mobile apps teaching the most challenging elementary math concepts—recently launched Motion Math Educator, a real-time dashboard [fig. 2] that, as 4th grade teacher Jeff Porter explains, helps educators assess “the progress of the student” as well as how to “push them further.”

Many product dashboards display “key metrics in a simple and easy to interpret interface”; Motion Math Educator transcends this baseline to provide immediate insights on “what students learn, how they acquire knowledge, and what materials and approaches work best for them”(West,

Fig. 1.

In Econauts, real-time feedback helps students

visualize complex ecological phenomena.

Fig. 2.

Motion Math Educator helps teachers understand learning

progress in real-time.


“In many digital products, the ‘amount of information can be overwhelming [...] so a key part of using assessment for learning is figuring out how to hone in on a manageable range of alternatives.’”Leahy et al., 2005

2012). According to CEO Jacob Klein, such affordances are important because they can facilitate “not only differentiation and lesson planning, but also classroom management, to ensure that students are finding their right level of challenge.”

FORMATIVE FEEDBACK: IN-PROCESS LEARNING DATA AND ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

Another area ripe for technological innovation is formative assessment, which is “specifically intended to generate feedback [...] to improve and accelerate learning” (as compared to summative assessment, which “is only about success or failure or how students compare with their peers”)(Nicol & MacFarlane-Dick, 2006). Indeed, formative feedback can support students as they “become aware of any gaps that exist between their desired goal and their current knowledge, understanding or skill” as well as the “actions necessary to obtain the goal”(Boston, 2002). Such efforts are important because they help to facilitate a shift from “assessment of learning” to “assessment for learning”(Leahy, et al., 2005).

A new crop of game developers are attempting to translate these ideas into digital content. GlassLab’s Director of Learning and Assessment Michelle Riconscente explains that Mars Generation One: Argubot Academy—which targets Common Core State Standards for argumentation—utilizes “a series of player and teacher reports that provide at-a-glance summaries of player performance, focusing on cases where players are running into trouble and where they’re really excelling.” These “Shout Out! Watch Out!” reports [fig. 3] help teachers understand each student’s current

Fig. 3.

GlassLab’s “Shout Out! and Watch Out! Reports” provide

accessible and actionable learning data.


“Peer-to-peer feedback is another important method for supporting children as they reflect and make meaning of new information.”

level of knowledge so they can support further learning in personalized ways. In many digital products, the “amount of information can be overwhelming [...] so a key part of using assessment for learning is figuring out how to hone in on a manageable range of alternatives”(Leahy, et al., 2005). By illustrating where students are getting stuck, as well as where they are succeeding, GlassLab’s dashboards provide a clear pathway to instructional next steps. Created for parents of younger children who are learning at home, Kidaptive’s Learner Mosaic is a supplement to the child-facing Leo’s Pad which helps preschoolers develop a wide range of capabilities from executive function to fine motor skills. Learner Mosaic consists of a suite of tools that, according to Chief Learning Officer Dylan Arena, are “designed to help parents become better teachers” [fig. 4]. Using data from children’s gameplay combined with parents’ responses to prompts, the app generates feedback in the form of recommendations from “hundreds of personalized activity ideas, conversation starters and research snippets” vetted by a team of educators and researchers from the fields of learning science, cognitive development and psychometrics. By focusing on suggesting real-world activities based on students’ digital interactions, the app helps parents answer what CEO P.J. Gunsagar describes as “the most basic questions out there: What do I do next? and How do I do it in an easy and simple way?”

Both GlassLab’s and Kidaptive’s products include features that emphasize formative feedback specific to each learner’s performance. Raw data is analyzed and translated into action-oriented recommendations, helping teachers or parents optimize their instructional support.

Fig. 4.

Kidaptive’s Learner Mosaic recommends real-world

activities based on children’s in-game performance.


“In addition to helping students understand strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement, peer-to-peer feedback carries the additional benefits of encouraging social interaction as well as creating learning opportunities for “the peer assessor” Gielen et al., 2010

PEER-TO-PEER FEEDBACK: USER-GENERATED CONTENT AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

Peer-to-peer feedback is another important method for supporting children as they reflect and make meaning of new information. In addition to helping students understand strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement, this form of feedback carries the additional benefits of encouraging social interaction as well as creating learning opportunities for “the peer assessor.(Gielen et al., 2010).

Pixowl’s The Sandbox EDU — a world-builder based on the laws of physics that allows students to play creatively with more than 200 elements — offers one example of how peer-to-peer feedback can be translated into the online world. According to COO Sebastien Borget, the app emphasizes user-generated content by engaging students “with real-world learning experiences” such as “designing machines, conducting science experiments and creating original art” [fig. 5]. Students then “explore and manipulate each other’s creations, learning from each other.” In addition to helping children develop ownership and responsibility over their work, the app gives students the opportunity to exchange feedback directly with their peers — “free[ing] themselves from conventional boundaries of one-way (teacher-to-student) instruction”(Santos, 1997).

Another app promoting creativity and sharing is TinyTap — an easy-to-use tool that allows educators to create their own games by adding a layer of interactivity to existing images or videos. The app also allows users to share content with

Fig. 5.

Students create and share projects through The Sandbox

EDU’s online portal.


others across the world. According to CEO Yogev Shelly, the simple interface enables teachers to access and build upon interactive lessons created by their peers [fig. 6], providing instructional inspiration while “allowing children anywhere to learn from a talented and versatile array of professional teachers.”

CONCLUSION

In schools and playgrounds across the world, students benefit academically and socially from the power of immediate, formative and peer-to-peer feedback. As the popularity of digital games and the availability of mobile devices continue to rise, developers are exploring new ways to leverage these forms of feedback within digital learning environments. By creating learning experiences with these principles in mind, they are demonstrating that games are more than just engaging and fun—they can become indispensable tools that enhance teaching and learning, empowering educators and students to thrive in the 21st century and beyond.

“...games are more than just engaging and fun—they can become indispensable tools that enhance teaching and learning, empowering educators and students to thrive in the 21st century and beyond.”

Fig. 6.

Using TinyTap, teachers can discover and build upon

content from peers across the world.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Gayle Allen Chief Learning Officer & Director of BrightBytes LabsGayle Allen, Ed.D., MBA, has 15 years of experience as a teacher, school leader, and entrepreneur in the field of education. She is the founder of two professional development institutes, including the McCord Grauer Center for Excellence in Teaching, and she is the former Associate Head of two independent schools. Gayle earned her Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she focused her research on teachers’ experiences with web 2.0 technologies and where she also served as an adjunct professor. Most recently, Gayle earned her MBA from MIT’s Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership. @GAllenTC

Esteban Sosnik, Executive Director of co.lab Prior to joining co.lab, Esteban was co-founder and CEO of social game developer Atakama Labs (acquired by DeNA in 2011). After Atakama was acquired by DeNA, Esteban became VP with roles in studios, corporate development and alliances. Previously, he was co-founder and CEO of Wanako Games, developer of console games. Wanako earned Game of the Year for Xbox Live Arcade and was acquired by Vivendi Games in 2006. After Wanako’s acquisition Esteban became VP of Business Development at Sierra Online. Previously, Esteban has worked in venture capital, private equity and investment banking. @esosnik

Cameron White, Associate Director of co.labBefore co.lab, Cameron worked as a Fellow and Learning Technology Specialist at NewSchools Venture Fund. He has also worked at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in Washington DC, where he helped to align out-of-school programming with the school’s broader missions. Cameron graduated with a B.A. in architecture from Princeton University, where he wrote his undergraduate thesis on the intersection between child psychology and environmental design. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Columbia University’s Teachers College, studying instructional technology and media. @cameronewhite

CONTACT BRIGHTBYTES

To learn more about how BrightBytes is driving student achievement through the use of research and analysis, please contact us:

490 2nd Street Suite 302San Francisco, CA 941071.877.433.4036

[email protected] www.BrightBytes.net

@BrightBytes

CONTACT CO.LAB

To learn more about how co.lab is accelerating educational technology through the power of games, please contact us:

650 Townsend Street Suite 225 San Francisco, CA 94103 [email protected] www.playcolab.com

@playcolab


REFERENCES

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Dean, C., Hubbell, E., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works:

Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Retrieved from

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Finch, K. (2014). COPPA in the classroom. Retrieved from

https://privacyassociation.org/news/a/coppa-in-the-classroom/

Gibbs, G. (2010). Using assessment to support student learning. Leeds Met Press. Retrieved from

http://www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching/documents/newacademicmodel/UsingAssessmenttoSupportStudentLearningbyProfessorGrahamGibbs

Gielen, S., Peeters, E., Dochy, F., Onghena, P., & Struyven, K. (2010). Improving the effectiveness of peer feedback for learning. Learning and Instruction 20: 304-315. Retrieved from

http://www.hum.uu.nl/medewerkers/bergh102/LOT_2014/Gielen_etal_2010.pdf

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https://www.msu.edu/~jsherry/Site/Orientations.pdf

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