Science teachers developing Fun Learning

EU’s Erasmus+ funds game platform at Grenaa Gymnasium

Science teachers at Grenaa Gymnasium are in the process of developing a digital game platform called Mobile Game that is to increase students learning in science subjects. At Grenaa Gymnasium Claus Løvgren Madsen (physics) and Kasper Severinsen (biology) are heading the project that is a joint venture between two schools in Portugal and Croatia respectively and Cologne-based IT-company Ingenious Knowledge.

Erasmus+, EU’s programme to support education among other things, funds the project with a little more than 175.000 Euro of which Grenaa Gymnasium receives 53.000 euro over two years.

“To some students learning from books is a barrier,” Claus Løvgren Madsen explains. “Therefore the intension is to create a game where they must answer subject related questions to advance through the game. As the student learns the questions get harder.”

IB Diploma subjects at Grenaa Gymnasium

Meet students and teachers at Grenaa Gymnasium on November 7th 2020 and January 30th 2021

The social forum of the game to be the motivating factor

The two science teachers are very aware that the platform will never be able to match the entertainment levels that young people are used to from computer games. “The fun learning element is to be found in a social dimension that is built into the game as some of the questions and tasks will make it necessary for one player to search for help from other players on the platform,” Kasper Severinsen explains.

He stresses that the platform neither can or should be a substitute for classroom and laboratory based teaching or for books. “But the teacher is only available during classes. A digital platform students can access whenever they want,” Kasper Severinsen says.

According to Claus Løvgren the hope is that in time the game will be developed to become adaptive. “That is to say that the computer monitors the student’s progress and adapts the questions accordingly, so that the student will learn at his or her own pace.”

Betaversion the coming spring

But before the intentions can be fulfilled the game must be developed and this happens in cooperation with the European partners. “The kick-off happens at a two-day seminar in the first days of November. Our partners were supposed to have come to Grenaa, but due to the corona situation it will be online instead,” Claus Løvgren explains.

In the coming winter months students at Grenaa Gymnasium will help testing the science questions of the game and the plan is to have a beta version ready in the spring to be tested among students.

The two science teachers are pleased that the Mobile Game project combines very well with their other pedagogical innovation project that was launched earlier in 2020 with the inauguration of a mini-exploratorium at Grenaa Gymnasium. This project also has a digital platform under way designed to support students in acquiring basic knowledge in different science subjects.