Some 20 teachers joined presenters from CCT for free workshops on how to use games in classrooms at the annual Games in Education Symposium on August 3 at NYU’s MAGNET 2 Metrotech Center in Brooklyn. The two sessions—“Using Gameplay Data for Formative Assessment” and “Using Digital Games Effectively in Middle-School Science Classrooms”—were facilitated by Dr. James Diamond and Marian Pasquale, respectively.

The morning workshop introduced teachers to the use of data from digital games for formative assessment. Participants played parts of a game called Mars Generation One, designed to help students practice argumentation skills. Then teachers analyzed data from gameplay and learned how to use it to plan for changes to instruction. Dr. Diamond and the other CCT researchers discussed tips for evaluating how well games help students practice targeted skills, what useful design features to look for in data dashboards, and techniques for connecting gameplay to other classroom activities.

In the afternoon session, science educator Pasquale delved into the ways in which digital games for middle-grades science can help target students’ persistent misconceptions. Participants played games that target certain NGSS disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts, and learned strategies for supporting the development of students’ higher-order thinking, especially analogical reasoning.

The workshops were New York City satellite sessions of the Games in Education Symposium, an annual event that brings together nationally recognized education practitioners to share techniques and outcomes associated with computers, digital games, and other technologies that can enhance classroom education and student achievement. This year’s Symposium was hosted by the School of Education at the University of Albany in Albany, New York.