Gamification for better results – Teach me how to play Erasmus Project

Project Title

Gamification for better results – Teach me how to play

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

A rapid development of information and communication technologies reflects itself on the growth and development of children, students and young people. Today’s generations are actually the generations of video games players that spend a great deal of time playing games. Therefore, the need for actualisation and integration of the new curriculum is particularly important. This curriculum would respect the needs of children, students and young people whose natural environment is information and communication technology. One of the modern ways of teaching by using ICT is the implementation of games in classes, and the goal is to make learning amusing and to develop creativity and curiosity in children through games and challenges. Especially significant characteristic of games is the element of thrill which makes the players active, motivated and guaranties the success of the aim of the game, controls the person’s spirit and egoism (Huizinga, 2003).

In the project that will last 24 months will participate students from upper grades of primary schools from Croatia (First Primary School Varaždin), Slovenia (Primary School Bistrica Ob Sotli) and Spain (Primary School Bernardino Perez), teachers, educational associates, parents and members of local communities. The main objective of this project is to create educational games for the modernisation of teaching process in the areas of geography, history, culture and art with the purpose of having better educational results. During the project activities, students will independently design and create educational games aided by ICT technology that will help them to better understand the educational content of subjects that are difficult and uninteresting because of many information and facts.

Created games students will present and get to know during short activities of learning, teaching and training lasting five days (six activities). The main goal of this activities is to introduce students to historical, cultural and traditional customs of every country involved in the project through games and fun. In attaining the objective, the educational aid ICT technology will be used and in that way, it will contribute to accomplishing the horizontal priority ‘’Open and Innovative Practices in Digital Era’’. Specific goals that will be accomplished by these activities are the introducing new cultures, development of toleration to other cultures and learning foreign languages which contributes to accomplishing the horizontal priority ‘’Social and Educational Value of European and Cultural Heritage’’. Besides, the goal of these activities is also to encourage learning among peers, to recognise mutual needs for the change of learning methods and to encourage learning by experience and research. Students will develop awareness about the fact that games can be educational as well, and not only for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

The results of the project (six educational games) are intended for upper grades students of primary schools in Croatia, Slovenia and Spain, and through dissemination activities instructions for the game will also be available and presented in other countries. Moreover, the games will be available to teachers, parents and all educational professionals and associates (pedagogues, psychologists). Games can be used by students of different ages and different abilities, but it was shown that they are particularly useful for children who can’t express themselves, children from depressed social environments or those with some other difficulties (Bognar, 2005). Attaining the results of the project (educational games) will affect the achievement of the horizontal priorities (’Open and Innovative Practices in Digital Era and ’Social and Educational Value of European and Cultural Heritage). Game instructions and rules created in this project will be permanently available to all interested users on the websites of school participants, project website and on the eTwinning platform.

The project will have a great impact on all participants, coordinators and partners and on target groups – students, their parents, other teachers and the local community. All the students and their mentors will have benefits from the knowledge and skills that they will collect during learning, teaching and training activities and they will have possibilities to convey them to others. Besides, teachers will absorb new ideas that will encourage them to prepare and carry out new projects in cooperation with foreign partners, in the area of better and improved teaching with the accent on ICT and in the area of the improvement of then school curriculum and students’ results by using innovative methods of education.

Project Website

http://os-prva-vz.skole.hr/erasmus_kutak/erasmus_ka2_hrvatska/game

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 75731,86 Eur

Project Coordinator

I. OSNOVNA SKOLA VARAZDIN & Country: HR

Project Partners

• Primary school Bistrica ob Sotli
• CEIP BERNARDINO PÉREZ