In this session, you will discover how to flexibly apply both familiar games and structured learning activities to teach a wide variety of subject matter. First, you will integrate specific lesson content into a familiar game selected by your group. Then, working in groups, you will brainstorm ideas relating to a learning activity selected by the facilitator from the toolkit, and then demonstrate in plenary how it can be used in different subjects or lessons.

Learning outcomes

Understand that learning activities can adapt to different subject/curriculum contents

Activity/exercise in details

Trainer presentation

The trainer briefly explains the difference between game-based learning as a learning activity, free play, and gamification. Participants discuss the different types of GBL and share their own experiences related to it. They also identify the characteristics – including implementation in lessons/subjects – that place GBL in the category of a learning activity.

Part 1: Transforming an Existing Game into a GBL Learning Activity

Let’s form groups of 4–5 people. These can be the same groups formed in the previous activity, or we can form new ones.

Group activity: Ask participants to reflect on which skill is central in this game.

• Participants work in groups and choose one existing game that can be linked to learning content
• brainstorm examples of how learning content can be added to the game
• identify what SPIRIT skills are needed to play the game, that is, which SPIRIT skills the game focuses on developing,
• share their ideas with the group using post-its on the wall

Part 2: Adding Learning Content to a Learning Activity

The trainer chooses one learning activity from the toolbook that can be linked to different types of learning content. Using the Station rotation learning activity technique, set up 5 stations: math, environment/sustainability, reading and writing, grammar (vocabulary) and language, and music and visual arts.

Group activity:

• Participants work in groups, and each group spends 10 minutes at each lesson-based station. There, they brainstorm ways to integrate the given learning activity into the lesson context.
• The participants write down their ideas on the flipchart paper at each station. By the time the groups have completed the task at every station, there will be five suggestions for each lesson on the flipchart paper.
• These are posted on the wall, and the groups read them using the Gallery Walk method and can add to the ideas with Post-it notes.
• after Gallery Walks, each group presents its best idea to the other groups