What role can games play in terms of supporting Aifl? Can the design of a game be such that it can help create a ‘winning’ attitude where the player/learner can continually self-reflect in order to move forward? This is quite a serious application of a game and one that possibly fits in with a movement in the games based learning world at present called Serious Games.

Serious Games are described as games that are for education and training purposes and not for entertainment. However, games being games I believe there is always a sense of fun and challenge about games irrespective of them being ‘Serious’ or not…

Anyway, back to the opening questions. Recently we met with a Scottish games based learning compnay called TPLD. They have worked in schools in the past and are currently doing so with an application called Eduteams. They came to talk to the Consolarium to tell us about a new game that they were working in partnership on with the Scottish Institute for Sport Foundation and a man called Yehuda Shinar. Abit more about the partners:

• S ISF: The Scottish Institute of Sport Foundation (www.sisportfoundation.org) is an independent charity, established in 2006. The Foundation is supported by some of Scotland’s most energetic and successful business, political and sporting leaders who share a passion to reshape and inspire the way Scotland performs as a nation. The annual budget of The Foundation is in excess of £1m.
• Yehuda Shinar: Cast your mind back 4 years to the last Rugby World Cup. Do you remember England’s success? Well, it is argued that Yehuda Shinar was a major part in that victory as his Winning Theory was applied by him and Clive Woodward to help create a winning mentality in the England squad. Yehuda’s research has seen him identify what he believes to be the twelve principles that winners employ. whether in sport or business. He calls these his TCUPS: Thinking Correctly Under Pressure.

As a result of this initial meeting we became very interested because we felt that the Winning Theory had the potential to complement and reinforce the Aifl agenda in Scottish schools.

We have now taken project this forward with a small number of local authorities and on Friday we had our initial meeting with proposed project participants to discuss the theory, play the game and consider how it could impact on teaching and learning in their schools. Here’s some photos of the event at Perth HS:

We were delighted to welcome Yehuda Shinar himself to the meeting and he gave a presentation about the Winning Theory. We then had the opportunity to play the game in ther computer room and it proved to be quite an engaging affair with some people tuning in to the Winning Zone more than others. However, the whole point of the game is that there will be a debrief session that can help the player self-reflect and consider what they can do in future to gain improve and gain success. We really want to consider how this ethos can be transferred to other aspects of school life and approaches to learning.
We look forward to taking this project further and reporting back on what we find.

One last thing, very well done to Perth HS and in particular their prefects for the way in which they welcomed and looked after the visitors to their school. They were a credit to themselves and to the school.

Categories: Aifl, Peth & Kinross, Serious Games