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Beyond the Game: Exploring Winning Strategies with Gifted Students
Abstract
This paper describes an experiment with gifted secondary school students from fifth to eighth grade. The students were presented with a strategy game and challenged to solve different tasks together. This was done by having the students try out the game in different ways, model, and print their own version of the game in 3D and develop a life-size game environment, where the students became pieces in the game. These tasks have required interdisciplinary and out-of-the-box thinking and experimentation with the game. The focus of this paper is to evaluate the use of games as a catalyzer for independent development of gifted students' abilities. During the experiment the students were observed and video recorded. The recordings were analyzed afterwards to examine how the students approached the task of finding winning strategies and which competences were trained during the experiment. The results show that the students' understanding of winning strategies evolved from an idea of finding a simple trick that always works to a concept of recognizing situations where a specific approach is advantageous. Their approach was simultaneously refined, going from a randomized testing, to a systemized search for specific winning situations. The use of previous knowledge was clear, as they simply tried to implement their former strategies, obtained by playing simpler versions of the game to the more advanced games and modified these strategies as they were proven ineffective. They used their math skills to analyze the winning possibilities by describing the winning characteristics as binary outcomes and calculated the winning possibilities. During this work, the students trained not only their logical reasoning, problem-solving, and argumentation skills, but also had to deal with social skills such as teamwork, engagement, decision-making, communication, and organization as well. Creativity played a very important role and was shown by the students through their many different approaches. The analysis show that working with games can motivate the students to develop their abilities independently by defining challenging questions and tasks themselves and solve them cooperatively or individually.
... Students are more engaged and motivated when learning through didactic games, as they create a collaborative and motivating environment. In addition, games allow students to apply the knowledge they have acquired nearly, developing skills such as logical reasoning, problem-solving, and teamwork (Hinterplattner et al., 2019). As a result of this playful approach, information is retained more effectively, improving teaching effectiveness. ...
... Turn-based multiplayer games can be a powerful tool for fostering student collaboration, critical thinking, and strategic decision-making (Gunter et al., 2008). By integrating these games into the educational environment, students can apply the knowledge they have acquired in a practical way while developing teamwork and communication skills (Hinterplattner et al., 2019). Furthermore, turn-based multiplayer games' interactive and competitive nature can stimulate student engagement, encouraging them to participate in learning activities actively. ...
This work introduces a new multiplayer digital game called TimeCraX, which aims to improve history education by making it more interactive, engaging, and fun. It highlights the challenges of traditional learning and how digital games can overcome them by utilizing gamification and game-based learning. The TimeCraX game platform is designed to be cooperative, allowing students to work together to complete a challenge based on a historical timeline. The goal is to promote learning through practical experience, encouraging critical thinking, and developing collaboration and teamwork skills. The article discusses the multiplayer platform architecture of TimeCraX, which includes authentication modules, team and student 208 rankings, matchmaking, and reporting tools, all aimed at providing teachers with the tools to monitor student progress and create balanced student groups based on specific criteria. The article concludes with a discussion of the next steps for the game's development, including a play session with students to evaluate the plat-form's effectiveness.
... When we look at the studies [31,32,34], these studies are generally conducted on science lessons and language education is concentrated at the secondary school level. At the secondary education level, a limited number of studies were found in the literature. ...
... Manuel and Freiman [52], Gutierrez & Jaime [31], and Cooper [19] stated that simulation-based applications are a teaching tool that provides an increase in students' success levels, provides experiential learning and high-level thinking, provides a rich educational environment that provides motivation for students with different levels of mathematics ability and enables students to progress at their own learning pace. Hinterplattner et al. [32], on the other hand, concluded in their study that learning with simulated games in gifted students is effective in developing their skills independently by enabling students to define difficult questions and tasks themselves, by solving the problems they encounter collaboratively or individually. ...
The fact that gifted students have different developmental characteristics compared with their peers makes it necessary to differentiate their educational activities. For this reason, different teaching programs and materials are needed to meet the learning needs of gifted students correctly. The purpose of this study is to design, develop, and implement a simulation‐based virtual application for gifted secondary school students to be used in robotics technologies education. The effects of the application on the academic achievement of the participants, satisfaction, self‐confidence, the development levels of the students, the importance of the design elements for the students, and the metacognitive awareness levels were examined. In addition, a qualitative analysis of participant views was made. The research was created with embedded research design, which is one of the mixed research methods. As a result of the research, the academic success of gifted students in robotics, their satisfaction with simulation programs, their self‐efficacy, the skills, and importance they attach to the use of simulation, and their metacognitive awareness levels showed positive development.
... At the high school level, there is very little study in the literature. Hinterplattner, Skogø, and Sabitzer (2019) state that studies should be carried out in different disciplines regarding the use of virtual environments in the teaching of gifted students and state that the literature is currently insufficient. The number of studies carried out with gifted students on technological fields such as robotics, coding, and design is very low. ...
The aim of this study is to research on perceptions of secondary school students studying at Science and Art Centers in Kars, Ardahan, Igdır and Agrı which are in the region of SERKA (Serhat Development Agency) TRA-2 about STEM and attitudes of these students towards digital technologies according to demographic variables. The study is a descriptive survey model. The sample of the study includes 183 secondary school students who study at Science and Art Centers in Kars, Ardahan, Igdır and Agrı. As a
data collection tool, “Attitude Scale towards Digital Technology” developed by Cabı (2016) and “STEM Perception Test” adapted to Turkish by Gulhan (2016) have been used. According to the
results of the obtained data, it has been found out that student attitudes towards digital technologies are at average level. On the other hand, it has been figured out that the level of their attitudes towards STEM are above the average level. It has been identified that there is a significant difference among students’ attitudes towards digital technologies according to gender, age, grade level and type of school variables when it is analyzed in regard to demographic variables. Moreover, it has been found out that attitudes of students towards STEM are also vary with gender, age, grade level and type of school.
This paper presents and discusses teaching experiences in which mathematical and technological competencies of students are developed through games and puzzles. Elementary Students were encouraged to play some games in its physical form and then challenged to digitally recreate them. Also, a group of middle school students were motivated to do it reversely: start playing with an already existing digital game, remodel it using the software GeoGebra, and then print the pieces using a 3D printer and play the game in its physical form. Observations from this experience suggest that the activities improved students' geometric vocabulary and understanding of transformations. In addition, students had opportunities to work collaboratively to develop basic understanding of programming, and to creatively solve various problems that naturally emerged during the transition process. .
Strategy games can provide an opportunity to develop higher order thinking skills in students gifted in mathematics. Extending and engaging gifted students is a demanding task. This paper reports on a twelve-week project undertaken with a group of nine gifted lower secondary school students. These students played and analysed five traditional strategy games. Following this experience, they were asked to create a challenging strategy game of their own. This paper discusses the rationale for the use of traditional strategy games, outlines the methodology employed, explains the selection of specific games and describes the observed improvement in students' higher order thinking skills.
The Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT) presents the talent development process (P) as the transformation of outstanding natural abilities, or gifts (G), into outstanding systematically developed skills which define expertise, or talent (T) 3 in a particular occupational field. This developmental sequence constitutes the heart of the DMGT. Three types of catalysts help or hinder that process: (a) interpersonal (I) catalysts, like personal traits and self-management processes; (b) environmental (E) catalysts, like socio-demographic factors, psychological influences (e.g., from parents, teachers, or peers), or special talent development facilities and programs; and (c) chance (C). The DMGT includes a 5-level metric-based (MB) system to operationalize the prevalence of gifted or talented individuals, with a basic 'top 10 per cent' threshold for mild giftedness or talent, through successive 10 per cent cuts for moderate, high, exceptional and extreme levels. Complex interactions between the six components are surveyed. The text ends with a proposed answer to a fundamental question: 'What factor(s) make(s) a difference, on average, between those who emerge among the talented and those who remain average?'
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of computer-based graphic organizers, using Kidspiration 3© software, to solve one-step word problems. Participants included three students with mild intellectual disability enrolled in a functional academic skills curriculum in a self-contained classroom. A multiple probe single-subject research design (Horner & Baer, 1978) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of computer-based graphic organizers to solving mathematical one-step word problems. During the baseline phase, the students completed a teacher-generated worksheet that consisted of nine functional word problems in a traditional format using a pencil, paper, and a calculator. In the intervention and maintenance phases, the students were instructed to complete the word problems using a computer-based graphic organizer. Results indicated that all three of the students improved in their ability to solve the one-step word problems using computer-based graphic organizers compared to traditional instructional practices. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research directions are discussed.
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