"Let's do this together and see what we can come up with!" : Teachers' Views on Applying Game-based Pedagogy in Meaningful Ways

Abstract

Game-based pedagogy offers a promising approach to renewing school education and making it more engaging. However, teachers’ ways of using game-based pedagogy have been rather traditional, not making use of its full potential. This paper presents initial findings on the experiences of teachers who participate in a project that aims to promote the meaningful use of game-based pedagogy. The findings suggest that game-based pedagogy could indeed play a key role in changing traditional practices in schools. Game-based approaches can support differentiated instruction, enhance pupils’ motivation and effort, provide new perspectives to assessment, and transform traditional roles in the classroom by encouraging pupils’ active participation and by giving them more responsibility and independence. However, in order to use the full potential of game-based pedagogy, a broader range of new approaches should be used, including not only educational games but also entertainment games, gamification, and activities where students make their own games.