Learning and Teaching Scotland, or LTS for short, have consistently pushed the serious games agenda forward by producing quantitative positive results supporting the benefit of computer games in education. Their latest findings indicate a link between Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training and maths scores, according to the BBC. From the press release:
The pupils were initially given a maths test before using Brain Training from Dr Kawashima on the Nintendo DS for 20 minutes at the start of each day for nine weeks or continuing their class as normal. The game featured challenges including reading tests, problem-solving exercises and memory puzzles designed to exercise the brain while the control group continued their lessons in a more traditional manner.
When they were tested again at the end of the nine weeks the results found all groups involved had improved their scores but those using the game improved by a further 50% from 78 to 83 out of 100. The time taken to complete the tests also dropped by five minutes from 18.5 minutes to 13.5 minutes with the improvement of the games group more than twice as much as the control classes.
This is the outcome from LTS' earlier claims.
For more on serious games, check this Tech Weekly programme, where David Wortley, director of the Serious Games Institute explains why evidence that games teach good doesn't mean evidence that they also teach bad.
Cheers Silversprite!
