Transformational Play

8/9/2019 Transformational Play

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Why EducatorsShould CareAbout

In virtual games, studentsact as investigative reportevs,environmental scientists,and historians who resolvemeaningful dilemmas.Sasha A. Barab, MelissaGresalfi, and An na Arici

w ere can a 10-year-old have an impacton the world?Answer: In a virtualworld.Video games, recently surpassingHollywood films in annual sales, havebecome one of the most popular formsof entertainment. Yes, they are fun, butthey also offer players a chance to take

on new roles and experience worlds inwhich they learn and problem solve.Recognizing the power of this medium,designers are now creating games specif-ically for education. Vastly differentfrom brightly packaged drill-and-

Gamespractice software of the past, thesegames offer something new tostudents-entire worlds in whichlearners are central, important partici-pants-worlds where what they know isdirectly related to what they are able todo and, ultimately, who they become(Gee, 2003; GeeQ Levine, 2009).

In the games we design, children canbecome environmental scientists, inves-tlgatlve reporters, statistical consultants,and historians By adopting a persona,or "avatar," they make choices thatdetermine how events transpire andwhat characters In the game wdl donext. For example, in one of ourscenarios, a student playng the gametakes on the role of statistician, andin-game characters ask the student

player to analyze data to determinewhether surveillance cameras or anincreased police presence will make thevirtual town safer. The next time thestudent returns to this virtual town, heor she may encounter cameras on everybuilding or a police oEficer on everycomer. Accountability is not based onan external test, but on the conse-quences of one's choices.

In this context, students learn how toinvestigate and pose solutions-andthey learn what it means to be histo-rians, scientists, or mathematicians.Students often find a passion for curric-ular content and begin to see themselvesas capable of solving interesting prob-lems. We believe this kind of approachtruly ensures that no child IS left behind


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oecause it offers students opportun itiesto engage w t h curricular content andappreciate that con tent's value.As part of ou r Quest Atlantis project(see ww w.QuestAtlantis.org),we havedesigned hundreds of gaming activitiesto teach disciplinary content, wh ichhave been used by thousands of chil-dren around the world. Through ourstudy of stud ents ' practice, we havedeveloped a new theory about howstudents best learn. Wha t we seek tofoster in stud ents is som ething we calltransfomatlonal play.Each game involves a knowledgequest and interactive tasks that takeplace in one of 15virtual worlds .Educators can go to www .QuestAtlantis.org, download Quest A tlantisfor free, and try a sam ple unit. Thethemes of these worlds align w t hacademic subject matter-such as statis-tics or persuasive writing-and eachquest taps into subject knowledge.For example, we d esigned an a quaticpark called Taiga World to host a uniton water quality (see fig. 1).Studentsare assigned tasks, such as making th ewater in the river safer for aqua tic life.To complete the task, studen ts need toknow abou t water quality, including pH ,dissolved oxygen, and turbidity Wevlew games like these as environmentsthat make academic content a necessarytool and that position the learne r as ahero who transforms a virtual world.Getting toTransformationa1 PlayMerely pla yn g a game does not e nsurethat a student is engaged in transforma-tional play To play tran sformationally, aplayer must become a protagonist whouses the knowledge, skills, and conce ptsembedded in curricular content to m akesense of a fictional situation and makechoices that transform that situation .Positioning students in this way sp arkstheir interest, but equally important,leads to deeper engagement w t hcontent.

1 FIGURE 1. Screenshot ofTaiga World, a Quest t o ExploreWater Quality 1

Markeda

In this activity, a player interacts w it h a n in-gam e character (Markeda), selectingdialogue responses that are consistent wi th his or her perspective on the scenario. I

Our virtual questsexpand on strategiesassociated withtraditional project-based curriculums.

In transform ational play, studen tsbecome im mersed in activities thatengage them intellectually and pushback o n their thinking and actions.Rather than w orking on problems inwhich they m ust imagine the implica-tions of their decision s (as in mostproject-based work), students experi-ence consequentiality

In Taiga, our gam e connected to aunlt on water quality, a park ranger asksstudents to investigate wha t is causingfish decline in the virtual park and tocome up w t h a solution (Barab, Zuiker,

et a1 , 2007). Students might choose tooutlaw logging in the park becauselogging causes erosion, or they mightforbid farming near the river because achemical runolf chan ges the water's pH.They experience the consequences ofthese decision s as the simulation takesthem 10 years into the future. Theymight discover that the park has gonebankrup t because no farmers or loggerswere paymg taxes. Students can thenreflect on the weaknesses of the ir initialsolution and consider a solution thatdemonstrates a better balance betweenthe needs of the ecosystem and soc io-economic issues.Research indicates that su ch immer-sive technologies enhance studentlearning. In one com parison study, ateacher used Que st Atlantis games in ascience curriculum w ith one stud entgroup and taught the identicalcurriculum to another group of studentsthrough traditional methods. Thestudents who u sed Quest Atlantislearned significantly more science

A S C D / www . a s c o . o ~ c 77


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concepts than the traditional classroomstudents, showed higher engagement,and demonstrated increased intrinsicmotivation (Arici, 2008; Hickey et al., inpress). When these groups were testedtwo months later, the students wholearned through the virtual gameremembered more science content thanthe traditionally taught students did(Arici, 2008).As one teacher who used the fractionsunit in Quest Atlantis's math worldnoted:

The kids [were]not [acting as] 5thgraders. They had a task. They had amission, and anytime you . . . invite thekids to be something other than astudent, you're going to automatically seemotivational gains. There's a lot moreperseverance. There was a lot of readingto be done, but kids were sticking with it.If I handed them a textbook, I would notsee the same endurance.Our virtual quests expand on strate-

gies associated with project-basedcurriculums. We focus on buildinggame-based learning environments inwhich students play an important role,using academic knowledge to makedecisions that influence, for better orworse, the designed storyline. Thus,these virtual spaces transform learnersin three ways: (1) they transform aperson from a passive recipient to anempowered actor, (2) they transformcontent from information that thelearner has to remember to a tool thatthe learner can use to accomplishdesired ends, and (3) hey transformcontext from an assurance that "thisknowledge will be relevant in thefuture" to a present reality that respondsto the learner's actions.A Promethean TaskWe can best illustrate our approachthrough an example of how studentsinteract within one of our virtualworlds, Digital Prometheus.Our instructional goal in this unitwas to foster persuasive writing byimmersing students in ethical dilemmas

inspired by Mary Shelley'sFrankenstein.Once teachers assign the unit to theirclass, students can travel to a villagenamed Ingolstadt. As they interact withlocal villagers, they develop a positionabout whether the local doctor (Dr.Frank) should be allowed to create anartificial life form in the hopes of findinga cure for the plague afflicting the town.Let's look at how playlng Dig~talPrometheus engages students in inter-

travel through town. As playersencounter characters, each player caninterview them about what has beenhappening. Each character respondswith a programmed script describingthat person's experiences with theplague and givlng an opinion about Dr.Frank's effort to stop the epidemic.The core tension is that he doclorhas created a living creature; he is exper-imenting on that creature with the

I IGURE 2. Screenshots from the Digital Prometheus Game I

esting problems, makes curriculumcontent relevant, and teaches studentsthat their content-influenced actionshave consequences.Establishing a Meaningful RoleTransformational play begins with ascenario that sets a goal. This motivatesplayers and demands a deep under-standing of content. In DigitalPrometheus, each player first reads aletter sent to his in-game e-mail from hisor her mother, pleading with the playerto visit Ingolstadt, which is beingdestroyed by a plague. The message asksthe player to talk to Dr. Frank and thelocal newspaper editor.Using onscreen menus, players enterIngolstadt and direct their avatars to

The top scenes represent wh at th e virtual village looks like if a player frees the crea-ture; the bot tom scenes, the o utcome if the creature remains captive.

hopes oE finding a cure. The player's roleas a persuasive writer is establishedwhen the editor of the paper asks himor her to build an argument aboutwhether or not the doctor's behavior isethical. Succeeding in this role requiresthat the player understand and applypersuasive-writing skills to collectappropriate evidence and compose apersuasive piece of writing.Seeing T hat Content MattersKnowledge connected to disciplines-such as investigative research andwriting-serves as one of the mostfundamental tools for making sense ofthe world and acting effectively in it.In Digital Prometheus, as playersinterview citizens, they can store any 10


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stones o r quotes from characters theytalk to m a digital "reporter's noteboo k "Because the noteb ook can ho ld only 10quotes at a nme , each player mus tdec ~d e h ~ ch uotes provlde the mostcompelling support for h ~ sr her argu-men t. These quotes are eventuallybrough t to an in-game "evldence sorter"that uses a preprogrammed sconngmetrlc to evaluate the power of thecollected quotes m relat~onship o theplayer's espoused argume nt about DrFrank. T h ~svaluation helps the playerunderstand how particular evldencesupports part~c ular rgumentsOnce the evldence scores highenough o n the convlnclng meter, theplayer can craft h ~ sr her editona l forthe paper. The classroom teacher thenrevlews t h ~ srt~cle-in the guise of them-game editor-and eithe r accep ts thework or requests revlsionsDiscovering ConsequencesExperiential consequentiality 1sthreaded throughout D~g italPrometheus Soon after makm g th e ~ rway to the doc tor's lab, playersencou nter the first ethical dilemma ofthe unit They decide whe ther or not totake a package from a crypt m thecemetery, a task th at involves lymg tothe constable The choice each playermakes at th~s oint affects the k ind ofreputation that character develops m t hboth the doctor and the constable Thisexpenence actually changes the co ntentof the players' subsequent interactionswith characters , ultimately affecting thetype of evldence players can co llect msupport of their thesisLater in the gam e, each playersubmm a final piece of wnting e ~t he rargumg for the continuation of thedoctor's experiments or advocatmg thatthe creature be gra n~ edhe clv~l~bertiesthat cltizens of Ingo lstadt enjoy Theplayer then experiences a world that h aschanged because of what the playerrecommended A screenshot from thegame (see fig. 2) shows two poss~bleoutcomes The top three scenes portray

a happy creature freed from the doctor'slaboratory-but this crea ture is freedinto a village that includes ho spital bedsfilled with sick people an d contam i-nated streets. The bottom three picturesshow the outcome if the player hadargued for keeping the creatureenslave d: The village is a bright, healthyworld, but th e creature remains at thewhim of the doctor's experim entalprobing.Supporting Gamesin the ClassroomAlthough the gam es we design are moreinteractive than textbooks, they don'tteach themselves. Qu est Atlantis is not

I am very confused by your letter Whathave you had to lie about? What is goingon in Ingolstadt? What does the goodDoctor have you doing? Please, follow theguldel~nes have tned to teach you whenwntlng an informative letter to your dearmother

Support Core ConceptsIn supporting content learning m virtualworlds , consider three ways of engagingwith content: procedural, conceptual,and consequential. First, students mayneed help learning the procedures forcom pleting tasks in the sim ulation. Forinstance, in D igital Prom etheus, studentsselect three pieces of evldence for eachreason they use to su ppo rt their argu-

We view games as environments thatmake academic content a necessarytool and that position the learneras a hero who transforms a virtual world.autopilot software The real potentla1 ofeducational games is reahzed only whenteachers join students m interactingw th m these narratives, taking o n newroles as they teach w t h these technolo-gies As we observe teachers usm g ourvlrtual games, we've d ~scove redhat thefollowing key actions enh ance themstruction al value of games.Become a C haracter in the Gam ePlay alongside your s tude nts. It's essen-tial for teachers to engage in vlrtualworlds becaus e, even in this nontypicalcontext, teachers still drive an d shapestud ent learnin g. As teac hers play, theyhelp the narrative unfold, motivatestudents with appropriate feedback atopportun e tlmes, and highlight keyconcepts embedded i n the scenario. Forexam ple, as a player's "in-w orld mothe r"in Digital Prom etheus, one teacherwrote to a student,

men t This activity has meaning onlywhen teachers help students understandthe difference between evldence an dopinion. Second, students m ll needguidance to see the bigger picture a ndgather knowledge and tasks Into a largerconceptual understandmg Strength-ening students' conceptual knowledgem ~ g h tnvolve d~ scu ss~ ngey concepts,posing "what IF scenarios, or engagngind~ vldu als r the class m Socratic ques-tioning Th~rd,onsequ entd under-standing occu rs as teachers helpstudents see the relevance of concep ts toin-game sltuatlons and use those conceptsto influence particular situationsUse Failures to TeachIt's hard to get studen ts to use b oth fail-ures and successes to improve th e ~ rthinking. Making mistakes 1s embar-rassmg, and students may not w ant todwell on failures. But, just as in tradi-


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tional teaching, bad decisions in a virtualscenario can be as illuminating assuccesses. If a student's actions lead todisastrous in-game consequences, helpstudents use this feedback strategically,rather than penalizing them. When youfirst introduce a virtual game, tellstudents that they should expect toexperience failure and have times whenthey must go back and start over. Thiswill go a long way in coaching studentsto think about negative outcomes as anopportunity to improve rather than amessage about failure.Allow 08-Task ehaviorsStrike a balance between a tight focus oncontent that limits opportunities toexplore and a too-loose structure inwhich students learn little academiccontent. The teachers we worked withwere at first wary of allowing students toengage in any off-task behaviors in avirtual world. However, they soon real-

ized that the time students spendexploring the narrative, interacting withcharacters, and even engaging withcontent not connected to assignedacademic content is an important part ofthe overall effect of the medium.Support Transfer of LearningAlthough it's Important to contextualizestudents' learning m terms of a partic-ular story, we want students to see thevalue of the content they learn for othersltuatlons If a learner never realizes howthis vlrtual expenence relates to real-hfeexpenences, then the game playng wd1have been engaging but not productiveBecommg a hero mthin a vlrtual worldshould enable students to see themselvesas people capable of using what theylearn to successfully transform the~rworld and to continue growmg as men-tists, hstorians, or writers.By helping students connect virtualaccomplishments to real-life scenarios,

Are your student leadersworking together for Aschool-wide success?

"The training received fi-om Mr. Ferrito has enhanced thesense of responsibility held by students, fostered teamworkand collaboration, provided students with direction forinfluencing the climate of their school, and caused studentsto realize they can impact the larger school in a positive way."Robert J. Tesar, Principal, Jefferson High Sch ool, Iowa

Con t a c t us n ow :9 7 2 - 3 6 9 - 1 1 2 8p e t e r@Te e n s 2T e am s . c omwww .T e e n s 2T e am s . c om

we lead learners closer to John Dewey'sideal of learning. Dewey (193811963)argued that education should be aboutgiving learners the motivation andexpertise to act in problem-filledcontexts where applyng that expertisemakes a difference. Dewey's vision ofschoolingis quite different from theeducation experience most studentshave today, which involves amassingknowledge with the promise of somedaybringing it to bear on the world. Incontrast, when students solve problemsin virtual scenarios, they get a taste ofthe real-world power of academiccontent.ReferencesArici,A. (2008). Meeting kids at their owngame:A comparison of learning and engage-ment in traditional and 3D MUVE educa-tional-gaming contexts. Doctoral disserta-

tion, Indiana University, Bloomington.Barab, S. A,, Zuiker, S. ,Warren, S., Hickey,

D., Ingram-Goble,A,,won, E-J.,Kouper, I. , Q Herring, S. C. (2007). Situ-ationally embodied curriculum: Relatingformalisms and contexts. Science Educa-tion, 91 5), 750-782.

Dewey,J. (1938/1963). Ekper-ience and educa-tion. New York: Collier MacMillan. (Orig-inal work published 1938)

Gee,J. l? (2003). W ha t video games have toteach us about learning. New York:Palgrave.Gee,J. l?, & Levine, M. H. (2009). Welcometo our virtual worlds. Educational Leader-ship, 66(6), 49-52.

Hickey et al. (in press). Three as magicnumber: Learning gains in the QuestAtlantis project.Journal of Science Educa-tion and Technology.Author's note: The work reported in this

manuscript was supported by the NationalScience Foundation and the John D. andCatherineT. MacArthur Foundation.

Sasha A. Barab ([email protected])sProfessor in Learning Sciences andCognitive Sciences, Melissa Gresalfi([email protected])s AssistantProfessor in Learning Sciences andCognitive Science, and Anna Arici([email protected])s ResearchScientist in Learning Sciences a? IndianaUniversity in Bloomington.


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EDUCATIONALLEADERSHIP


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EDUCATIONALLEADERSHIPS e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 9 . V o l u m e 6 7 . N u m b e r 11Teaching for the 21st Century8What Would Socrates Say?

PeterW Cookson JrDo we need to craft a new model ofeducation for the 21st century? ItS aquestion worthy of Socrates.The 21 C~anrurySkillsMavementPa~ge ohnsonThe chair of the Partner shipfor 21 stCentury Shills spells out goals.

16 21st Century Ski l lsThe Challenges~hwdAndrew J. Rotherhamand Dan~e l l llmghamW h y the 21st century shills movementcouldfalter and key cons~derat~o nshatmight strengthen zt.

22 why Creativity NOW?A Conversation with Sir KenRobinsonAm y M. AzzamCreativity is a crucial skill, Sir Ken tells us.dB Listen to an intewle w with this creatinexpert at www.ascd.orglel.

28 The Science StudentsNeed to KnowJamesTrefil and Wanda O'Bnen-Tref~lScientijic knowledge is the en@ ticket tounderstanding the issues of the day.

34 Focusing the Digital BrainMarllee SprengerHow to help tweens and teens deal withhyperconnectivity.

40 Clicking Across CulturesSandy CutshallThrough today's technologies, students learnnew languages and develop global awarenes

45 Teachingwith ControversySusan GraseckHow to teach students to weigh-and weighon-a range of views.

50 A Well-Rounded Educationfor a Flat WorldRichard H. HershThe simplistic debate about content versusshills is moot i n a world that demands both.


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Departments

54 The Change AgentsCheryl Lemke and Ed Cou ghl rW hy we must reinvent authentic instructionand the resources to help do so.

60Needed Global WllagersYong ZhaoWh at could be more important than to learnto llve peaceftllly?43 Listen to an wterview with Yong Zhao atwww.ascd.org/authortalks#Zhao.

6 tst Century ScholarsTerrence ClarkA district extends its school day, and thestudents applaud.

71 The Students Have the AnswersDebra Gerdes and Ellen Jo LjungWhen businesses share their problems w t hstudents, some surprising solutionc recult.

7 ~ducators houldCam About GamesSasha A. Barab, Melissa Gresalf~,and Anna A r uVirtual accomplishments lead toreal learning.

Perspgctivees7 21-Age of ChangeMarge Scherer43 L~sten nline at www.ascd orglelTheArt and Science of Teaching83 Six Stepm BenerVmbulacy lnstructianRobert J. MarzanoDigitally Speaking

-783 Taking the DigitalPlungeBill FerriterThe Principal Connection87 The Craft of ConversgtionJoanne RooneyWhat Research Says About...

90 EncouragingGirls toPursue Math and SciemTracy A. Hueb ner

Read about a newASCD member benefit-EL in a digital format.

Cover illustration O Tom White 19 S u f Studios

I L E A R N . TEACH. LEAD.1 Journal StaffI Margaret M. SchererEditor in ChrefI Deborah Perkins-GoughSenior EditorI Amy M. AzzamSenior Associate EditorI Naomi ThiersAssoc~a t e d~ t o rI eresa K. PrestonAssociate EditorI ucy RobertsonAss~stant d i torI udi ConnellySenior Graphic DesignerI ike KalyanProduct~onM anagerI aty WogecRights and Permissions Manage)I rittany A. Bo wenAdver t~singM anagerI ene R. CarterExecutive DirectorRon Miletta

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Educat~onal eadership (ISSN 0013-1784) IS a benef~t f rnembersh~p nASCD Annua l rnemb ersh~ p ues are $49 Baslc $89. Select. $219, Prernlum. and $985 Institutional, of wh ~c h 39 per member covyears subscr~ptlono Educahonal Leadership Educat~onalLeadeishipS published monthly September through May except bimonthly Decernberflanuary Period~cal ostage pa~ d t Alexandr~aVlrg~n~a,nd ad~t~onalnallmg off~ce sReturn undeliverable Canadian addres ses o 1415 Janette Ave ,Windsor ON N8X 121 Postmaster Send address changes to M embership Department, Educational Leadersh~p17Beauregard St Alexandria VA 22311-1714EducationalLeadershrp S Intended prirnarly for leaders in elementary m ~dd le nd secondary educat~ on ut IS also for anyone Interested In curr~culurn, nstruction, supervlslon and leadersh~pn schoolsASCD publ~cat~onsresent a varlety of vlewpolnts The vlews ex pressed or lmplled In this publlcat~on re no t necessarily official posltlons of the Assoclatlon ASCD editorial off ce and advertising 703-578-96e-mall edleadersh~pO ascd rg Educahonal Leadership1s a registered radem ark of ASCD CopyrightO 2009 by ASCD All r~ghtseserved IUSPS 168-7601 September 2009 Stock No 110020

Transformational Play

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