GAME BASED LEARNING AND GAMIFICATION - COURSE DESCRIPTION

Introduction

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This course is aimed at teachers and school staff from pre-school level to primary, secondary, vocational, adult and special needs education, staff of non-government organizations, government and policy makers and company staff as well as students and all those who want to learn how to play more in their lessons and create more engaging units for their learners. The course will focus on theoretical input on gamification and approaches to introduce more game based learning in different countries and across school subjects. It will have a strong focus on responsible and successful implementation of games in the classroom. Participants are expected to have at least B1 level of English proficiency.

Methodology

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​Methodology is based on theoretical input, presentations of examples of good practice as well as demonstrations and experience comparisons, and in the most part practical learning by doing approach. Assessment is carried out by the course trainer on a day to day basis and the learning outcomes are recorded on the Europass Mobility Document on request.

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Objectives

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• Understanding of the concept and strategies for implementation of GBL and Gamification.

• Developing communication, collaboration, presentation, problem solving, negotiation, critical and creative thinking skills.

• Enhancing professional skills through mastering handpicked selection of versatile types of games for team building, building of trust, content consolidation and revision, exploration and development of creativity.

• Providing and exercising creative ideas and practical resources for successful implementation and responsible use of game based learning.

• Improving English fluency (official language of the course).

• Promoting intercultural awareness. 

• Sharing experiences of school project work and use of GBL and Gamification in education from different organizations in order to help each of us to be more effective in our work.

• Strengthening the European collaboration among people using GBL and Gamification in education in different contexts.

• Providing insights into different education systems.

Networking opportunities and cultural programme

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The course includes networking opportunities and cultural exchange opportunities to create European dimension and find possible partners for future projects as well as a city tour or a cultural trip (depending on the location). These are included in the course fee and at no additional expence for participants.

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Preparation

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After registration participants will receive pre-course questionnaire which will be used by the trainer to learn about participants’ teaching backgrounds and to assess their exact needs. Before the beginning of the course a basic reading list will be suggested to participants to prepare for the training. Participants will also be asked to prepare a presentation about themselves, their professional context and their culture which will be presented during the course. Participants will receive information about the country they are going to visit in order to prepare them for their cultural experience.

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Follow up

After the course participants will be asked to share what they have learned with the rest of the staff in their schools. Further books and articles to deepen the topic and contacts with some other practitioners all over Europe and in the world will be suggested by the trainer. The methods shared and explored and the bibliography given will allow the participants to complete and improve their educational path.

Certificate

Each participant will get a course attendance certificate and the Europass Mobility Document.

Accommodation

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We do not directly offer accommodation and subsistence and participants are responsible for organizing it by themselves.

Paperwork

We also provide all the support with paperwork you might need for your Erasmus+ project documentation such as mobility agreement, registration letter, etc.

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Cancelation policy

Free cancellation up to 30 days before the start. After that, the reservation is not refundable. Changes in name and profile of the participant are possible any time before the start of the course (replacement participants from the same school/org are accepted at any time). In case the school/org doesn't find a replacement, we will still offer a place at any of our confirmed courses later in the year without any additional costs but we can not guarantee that every course session will be confirmed and the school/org will only be offered to choose from already confirmed course sessions. In case it will not be possible for the participant to attend the course or for us to organize the course due to extraordinary circumstances (classified as such by the European Commission) which present themselves in the period of less than 30 days before the start of the course and we don’t manage to find an alternative solution, we will keep 50 % of the payment and refund the remaining balance of 50% to the payer’s bank account.

   Day 1

• Welcome and introduction of trainers and participants.

• Cultural exchange.

• Warm ups and icebreakers.

• Course expectations and needs analysis, setting up a collaborative learning environment and creating an educational contract.

• Outline of the programme.

• Introduction to GBL and Gamification, educational practices and strategies of GBL and Gamification.

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   Day 2

• Learning concepts and educational practices related to GBL and Gamification.

• Social and teambuilding games.

• Use of games for creating a positive learning environment.

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   Day 3

• Examples of GBL and Gamification for education

• Presenting a gamified learning approach for introducing an ICT topic

• Exchange of ideas for introducing other related learning topics

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   Day 4

• Scaffolding in education

• Digital learning games and tools for education 

• Team Building and networking activities with a city tour or a social excursion

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  Day 5

• Free online tools for collaboration in GBL and Gamification-based projects.

• Free online resources and tools for inspiration and support in planning and managing GBL and Gamification.

• eTwinning presentation. 

• European School Education Platform presentation.

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   Day 6

• Exploration of the anatomy of fun

• Games vs Play - diversification between design and possible learning outcomes

• Game elements

  • goals

  • rules

  • rewards

  • collaboration

  • competition

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   Day 7

• Games for learning: digital and unplugged (board / card / roleplay…) games for:

  • Learning new content, 

  • Exploring a topic, 

  • Revision, 

  • Assessment.

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  Day 8

• The science behind the impact of gamification on motivation and learning

• Ethical concerns regarding gamification

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   Day 9

• Planning, design and preparation of GBL and Gamification in different contexts (working on the course outputs).

• Design of personal plan for implementation of GBL and Gamification:

  • choice of a theme or an area of curriculum, 

  • game design, 

  • resources, preparation time and activities,

  • evaluation and assessment plan.

• Individual support

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   Day 10

• Presentation of outputs  (personal implementation plans).

• Group reflection, feedback and discussion.

• Dissemination strategy and European dimension.

• Validation of the learning outcomes.

• Evaluation of the course.

• Closing session.