Mario BarajasUniversity of Barcelona

Two years of project Two years of project PROACTIVEPROACTIVE

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

During the last decades, and specially during the last years, creativity has been seen to be increasingly significant in education. Currently, there is a consensus for creativity to be an important educational objective.

“all levels of education and training can contribute to creativity and innovation in a lifelong learning perspective: the early stages of education concentrating on motivation, learning to learn skills and other key competences, and subsequent stages focusing on more specific skills and the creation, development and application of new knowledge and ideas”.

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION 2009 European Year of Creativity and Innovation

European Parliament and the Council: “Europe needs innovation, and learning systems which inspire innovation”

creativity should be seen “as a driver for innovation and as a key factor for the development of personal, occupational, entrepreneurial and social competences”.

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION› The relationships between creativity and learning are

based on the fact that there are basic skills and attitudes that can be fostered in educational settings as potential conditions/ agents of creativity

› “Education has the dual power to cultivate and to stifle creativity” (UNESCO, 1972)

GAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITYGAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITY

Game-Based Learning show a clear relation between playing digital games and learning.

digital games as learning tools› can enhance students’ motivation towards learning› games can provide challenging experiences that promote the

intrinsic satisfaction of the players, keeping them engaged and motivated

Moreover, players have fun while playing a game because they have to learn it (Prensky, 2001).

GAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITYGAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITY

Video games as genuine learning environments:

• Active Learning• Exploratory Learning• Constructivist Learning• Learning by doing• Meta-cognitive skills• Positive and negative reinforcement• Problem-Based Learning (PBL)• Situated Cognition

GAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITYGAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITY

Video games promote active learning

To succeed, players take responsibility for learning and for applying new skills

Players learn by ‘doing’ and by improving their knowledge and skills

Players are involved in problem-solving activities

GAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITYGAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITY

Video games promote exploratory learning

Video games reward players for their curiosity In many games, exploration is the key to new discoveries

and learning opportunities

Video games implement advanced modes of interaction with the environment

GAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITYGAMES, LEARNING AND CREATIVITY

Video games promote meta-cognitive skills

Players become better at learning new skills

Players are provided with an environment that acts as a learning scaffolding just as the ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ defined by Vygotsky, whereby players become more independent in their learning activities

THE PROACTIVE PROJECT THE PROACTIVE PROJECT

LifeLong Learning programmeKA3: focused on ICTJanuary 2010 – December 2011

Aim: To foster teachers’ creativity through GBL The teacher as game designer

THE PROACTIVE PARTNERSHIPTHE PROACTIVE PARTNERSHIP

Universitat de Barcelona (coordinator) – Spain Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma – Italy CAST Ltd. – the UK Università di Napoli – Italy Universidad Complutense de Madrid – Spain Universidad de Bucharest - Romania

LEARNING METAPHORSLEARNING METAPHORS

Acquisition refers to the transfer of information from one who possesses it (the teacher) to another

Imitation is when the learner observes and models the behavior / attitudes of an expert to learn a skill.

Experimentation closely relates to “learning by doing” processes and involves practical activities and skills.

Participation focuses on social aspects of learning activities Discovery is when learners interact with mediating artifacts and combine previous knowledge, in

order to create new ideas, models and concepts.

THE PROACTIVE PROJECTTHE PROACTIVE PROJECT

1 Focus groups Focus groups

Co-design: Co-design: ongoing collaboration process among teachers and researchers

ImplementationImplementation

2

3

4

Teacher trainingTeacher training

EvaluationEvaluation5

CO-DESIGN OF GBL SCENARIOSCO-DESIGN OF GBL SCENARIOS

Use of two game editors (EUTOPIA and <e-Adventure>)

Design of games and the corresponding learning scenario

Ongoing collaboration process among teachers and researchers

CO-DESIGN OF GBL SCENARIOSCO-DESIGN OF GBL SCENARIOS

More than 80 teachers, from schools, universities and vocational training have participated

26 pilot sites in 4 different countries 58 GBL scenarios (29 for schools, 15 for vocational training and 14 for

universities)

PEOPLE and SCOPEPEOPLE and SCOPE

More than 80 teachers, from schools, universities and vocational training have participated

26 pilot sites in 4 different countries

58 GBL scenarios (29 for schools, 15 for vocational training and 14 for universities)

OUTCOMES : OUTCOMES : CREATIVE GBL IN SCHOOLSCREATIVE GBL IN SCHOOLS

Opportunities

•Game design is fun•GBL engages•Collaborative game design is richer than individual•Game design is a new teaching methodology based on the • participation and the discovery metaphor•GBL enriches the role of teachers•GBL is a way to get closer to students•GBL stimulates self-regulation and learning by doing•GBL encourages collaboration among students•GBL helps improve schools’ visibility

OUTCOMES : OUTCOMES : CREATIVE GBL IN SCHOOLSCREATIVE GBL IN SCHOOLS

CHALLENGES

• GBL design requires training and support

• GBL design requires a big time investment

• Technical challenges

PRODUCTSPRODUCTS

•Psychopedagogical Framework for Fostering Creativity•Handbook for the Production of Creative GBL Scenarios•Guidelines for Creative Game-Based Learning Practices•Adapted release of Eutopia and eAdventure Game editors•Collection of Templates and libraries•Repository of GBL Scenarios•Proceedings of the PROACTIVE Conference•Etc…

Thanks for you attention.Thanks for you attention.

Mario BarajasUniversity of Barcelonambarajas@ub.edu

http://www.proactive-project.eu