Boston University Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Classroom Games and Exercises Janelle Heineke February 6, 2014

Boston University Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching To motivate learning. To provide a common context. To encourage learning through action. To foster self-generated understanding To use class time efficiently. To encourage interaction and teamwork. To reinforce and apply learning. To vary the classroom pace. To make learning more fun. Why Use Games?

Boston University Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Games are effective when they are: Short and focused Long(er) and integrating Games are less effective when they are: “Black Box” games Games that confuse rather than clarify Games that can be “gamed.” Effectiveness of Games

Boston University Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Concepts (in my field) Process analysis Push and pull production Statistical quality control Dimensions of quality Taguchi methods What about yours? Candidate Topics

Boston University Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Use commonly available materials Create, rather than present, data Match complexity to the purpose Allow groups to enhance the experience Keep tasks low-stress Adapt... Fundamentals

Boston University Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Plan and prepare Yourself Your students Make it fit Sequence Duration Don’t over-direct the exercise Logistics

Boston University Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Games/exercises are fun -- but they’re also a serious approach to teaching and learning. If the value of the lessons learned is not worth the time, students will be frustrated – and the value of the exercise is lost. Final Thought