Video Games as Learning Environments for Students with Learning Disabilities

From the abstract of this article in Children, Youth and Environments, Volume 19, Number 1: "This article draws from the literature on self-determination and Universal Design for Learning principles to set forth the theory that ...the digital learning environment found in simulation video games is designed so participants can be autonomous, self-directed, goal-oriented and successful. These are, coincidentally, the salient features of a technology-enhanced learning environment designed with Universal Design for Learning principles...."

The author explores what makes a simulation (which may be either digital or "real life") engaging and what makes it a learning environment. "Gredler (1996) points out that simply reproducing the main features or behaviors of a given incident does not necessarily translate it into a simulation. In his view, a simulation must allow students to play authentic roles with the consequence of experiencing the weight of their decisions and actions; in other words, relevance is critical to engagement." Video games fit these criteria, as indicated here, because the user must adhere to the set expectations and rules of the environment.

For students who may have "deficits in one or more of the following areas: gross and fine motor skills; intellectual development such as language, reading, written language, or math; and the affective social /emotional domain", video games may contribute to:

• "Motor development. Games often involve movement; they stimulate precision, coordination of movements, and speed.
  
• Intellectual development....[G]ames may also involve understanding how things work, resolving problems, and devising strategies.
  
• Affective and social development. The fictional nature of games, the opportunity to act out a role and become a member of a group, and to make meaningful decisions within the society’s predominant values and attitudes (Gee 2003) means that the game may have a key function in the affective development of the individual....The video game environment is an environment where everyone has equal access and is treated equitably."
  

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an extension of the Universal Design concept that centres on designing for all people to the greatest extent possible, "means designing an environment with multiple ways of accessing instructive information and multiple pathways to success. The UDL environment supports the ability of the learner to be autonomous in the pursuit of their goals by removing barriers to successful interactions with necessary information within the environment." The principles, as listed here, are the following:

Principle 1: To support recognition learning and provide multiple, flexible methods of presentation - "The design of the video game provides multiple and varied presentations of the information, information storage and retrieval systems, repeated practice and few time limitations. The video game also presents information in multiple, flexible forms, including text, auditory instructions given by an “agent” who acts as a tutor in the environment, symbols, graphs and maps. The difference from the traditional classroom is that the information can be accessed on demand in the preferred format at the learner’s discretion."

Principle 2: To support strategic learning and provide multiple, flexible methods of expression and apprenticeship - "Video game environments are designed so that the player becomes a situated apprentice to the skills needed to succeed in the virtual environment....every skill acquired and action taken has some direct impact on the user’s outcome - achievement of the goal."

Principle 3: To support affective learning and provide multiple, flexible options for engagement - "Juul (2003) uses the phrase “the game contract” to describe the player’s investment of time, energy and emotional attachment to the outcome. The virtual environment teaches the user that problems are complex, choices lead to consequences, and consequences can be good or bad. The player learns that given a relevant goal, clear expectations and the autonomy to utilize a variety of resources, their personal effort will affect whether they find the solution to the problem and meet their goal."

Teachers of learning disabled students have developed principles for organising the learning environment, many of which fit the learning environment provided by video gaming. Approximately half the students in grades 6-12 who were surveyed by Project Tomorrow in 2008 favoured games for learning difficult concepts, for learner engagement, and for increasing interest in practice problems. Over 50 percent of teachers said they would be interested in learning more about integrating gaming technologies into teaching strategies, and 46 percent said they would be interested in professional development on digital games as a learning environment.

The document concludes that educational video stimulations can provide optimal learning environments for students identified as having learning disabilities. It suggests that more study is needed to understand why students are more successful in simulated environments than actual classrooms. "Perhaps the students we see as floundering in our schools are not necessarily disabled, but rather individuals who need the support of a universally designed digital environment to reach their optimal learning potential."