Game based learning for development of problem solving skills

Latest PISA tests shows that most of EU countries has lower problem solving skills when they arecompared to peers in Asia https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf. Objective of the project is to increase these skills in partners countries. Solution is game-based learning, which is defined as learning through games.Using games in the classroom is an exciting proposition for educators that are interested in placing their pupils in the center of their own learning.Games are perfect way students can boost their analytical skills. Strengthening your brain through mental games enable students to better solve problems in the real world as well as exams in school. http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissionsplaybook/2014/06/23/5-tools-to-develop-critical-thinking-skills-before-college. Partnership will use game based learning (GBL) to improve problem solving skills of the students.This will be achieved by developing strategies and tactics based on our pan European analysis of good practices of use of GBL in the classroom, preparing manual for the implementation, implementation of good practices in 35 schools and monitor improvement of logical thinking skills over four month period in 4 partner countries which underachieved in PISA test. The context and the needs: All of life is problem solving.Changes in society, environment and in technology mean that the content of applicable knowledge evolves rapidly. Adapting, learning, daring to try out new things are among the keys to resilience and success in an unpredictable world.Problem solving processes have been studied over the past hundred years.Jean Piaget describes adolescence as the stage of life in which the individual’s thoughts begin taking more of an abstract form and egocentric thoughts decrease.This allows the adolescent to think and reason with a wider perspective. Wisdom, or the capacity for insight and judgment that is developed through experience, increases between the ages of 14 and 25; however, the tendency toward risk-taking also increases during adolescence.So it is very significant to activate and direct problem solving skills during this period.According to the Pisa 2015 results. Collaborative problem-solving performance is positively related to performance in the core PISA subjects (science, reading and mathematics) in partner countries of this project (Poland, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal and Turkey) it has been observed that majority of these countries have lower results when we compare with OECD avarage point. Far behind Signapore (556) The results for the upper secondary schools in maths percentages are as the following: Slovenia: 513,Poland: 501,Portugal: 501,Bulgaria: 446,Romania: 435,Turkey: 425 https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf. The figures show that the methods to develop problem solving skills of the students haven’t reached up to the desired goals so far.Thus, we need to try something new on problem solving skills which requires thinking and learning in action.In order to progress about the issue of strengthening problem solving, throughout the project we will use games based learning integrating traditional ones to make our students learn more about the nature of the problem and the effectiveness of their strategies.The needs for better achievement in problem solving skills are clearly presented in above in numbers and it is clearly linked with the Action priorities under “Achievement of relevant and high quality skills and competences”. Still,many teachers struggle to smoothly incorporate games into lessons due to time and logistical issues, yet see game-based learning (GBL) as a way to engage students and appeal to diverse learning styles (https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/implementing-game-based-learning-in-theclassroom-examples/ ).

Scenario for improvement of these skills using game based learning will be:
1) analysis and selection of good practices of using GBL in education process across Europe,
2) preparation of tactics for the implementation of good practices into educational process,
3) preparation of training programme for the teachers,
4) development of educational portal,
5) implementation of the good practice into the classrooms,
6) monitoring and evaluation of the impact.Based on that we will have two target groups.

Teachers, who will use and introduce new, improved methods of teaching problem solving skills.Students, who will be provided with the training use selected best practices. Why this project should be transnational? There are a lot of different examples of good practices of GBL in EU, but there is no systematically approach to gather and organize this knowledge and examples.Partnership has wide European network of partners, who will participate in the gathering of good practices, among them Development agencies and institutes.Project shows synergies between different fields of education and systematically includes games.

The project aims at producing 4 tangible results (Intellectual outputs) that we can define and describe as follows:
IO1. Analysis of good practices of using game based learning in the primary and secondary school curricula to foster problem solving skills. This is an analysis which will serve as a resource and pool from which the best practises will be chosen to be used in manual. This Intellectual output will be focusing on: Collecting 50 good practices across EU countries (every partner will conduct a national desk top research and analysis (an additional country will be included -one with an above average score in the PISA report). Consolidation of the national results and elaboration of a consolidated report. Definition of areas out of the gathered good practices. Selection of 30 best practices to include them in a manual.
IO2.

Guidelines for implementation of good practices of games based learning into education This is a manual which includes 30 best practices including the description of what they are and how they are played. It serves as implementation guidelines for each practise consolidating the results of selected practices in IO1 to be used to support educational tools. This Intellectual output will be focusing on: A manual that will be designed using a Step-by-step approach will transform the results of the IO1 into an implementation guidelines for the educational purposes. These guidelines will be produced in English language (EN). These guidelines will then be translated into national languages. Versions of the guidelines will be available in PL, BG, PT, RO, SL, TR. Link to Guide GBL in PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FqY8-BlcyvQMHl2GW2YRmS6XPEfI70qj/view?usp=sharing
IO3.

Education portal with 15 videos of game based learning with descriptions This is an educational portal that includes 15 videos of best practices selected from IO2 implementation guidelines. The portal that will show how to organize game based learning examples and will serve as an educational tool to be used by teachers and pupils. This Intellectual output will be focusing on: Preparing templates and the structure of the portal that will support the 15 videos that will be developed for the selected topics Shooting the 15 videos Editing the videos, preparing the related descriptions and uploading all 15 videos produced into the portal.
IO4.

Development of training programme and Implementation into 40 schools in all partners countries This is a training programme for the teachers using games based learning in all partners countries. The training programme will be carried out for the teachers selected from 5 different schools of each partner countries, totally including 40 schools in all partner countries. After training programme, the implementation of the materials will be monitored and reported to see how effective they are on problem solving skills.
This Intellectual output will be focusing on:

Designing the related training programs for teachers using games based learning in teaching. Contents will be available in all partners´ national languages. Undertaking training sessions for the teachers about the games based learning to foster problem solving skills in their schools.
Undertake a research in each one of the partners´countries and select 5 schools in each one where the implementation of the materials will be carried out. Designing a monitoring strategy to implement by all partners. Setting up a monitoring process in all schools and organise monthly monitoring meetings by each of the partner.
Prepare a consolidated monitoring report, including all the national reports produced by each country, including conclusions, results and suggestions.

J. Cezary Salamończyk