Under matematikutvecklardagen får Hovhultsskolan i Uddevalla besök av 12 pedagoger från Mölndal som introduceras i matematikspelet Rutiga familjen med temat ”Talking and Seeing Maths in Games”.

En ny artikel ”A Teachable Agent Game Engaging Primary School Children to Learn Arithmetic Concepts and Reasoning” har publicerats i en internationell tidskrift om intelligenta spel och andra digitala verktyg i skolmiljö: International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education av Springer

(eftersom artikeln publiceras internationellt, är den på engelska).
Abstrakt:  In this paper we will describe a learning environment designed to foster conceptual understanding and reasoning in mathematics among younger school children. The learning environment consists of 48 2-player game variants based on a graphical model of arithmetic where the mathematical content is intrinsically interwoven with the game idea. The environment also features teachable agents, which are computer programs that can be taught and behave according to their knowledge. Thus, the environment provides both learning-by-doing (playing the game) and learning-by-teaching (teaching the agent to play). It differs from other learning-by-teaching systems 1) by targeting basic mathematics and primary grade students; 2) by using teachable agents as an extension to educational games in order to leverage engagement, reflection and learning; and 3) by using an agent-driven question dialogue to challenge students’ mathematical thinking, to role-model learner behaviour and to transfer game knowledge to out-of-game mathematics. The teachable agent game is described and evaluated in an authentic classroom study enrolling 443 students from 22 classes in 9 schools. Students range from 2^nd to 6^th grade of mainstream classes and 7^th to 8^th grade for students with difficulties in mathematics. Part of the study was designed as a quasi-experimental study with controls; part was designed to examine students’ change in mental models of arithmetic before and after game play. All students took pre- and post mathematics tests. The 314 playing students used the game and taught their agents during regular math-classes for three months, whereas the control classes attended standard instruction and took the tests. A questionnaire was distributed in the end of the study to investigate students’ perceptions and performances of the agent-tutoring task. Results show that 1) there is a significant learning gain for playing student compared to controls, 2) the learning environment can engage children in advanced mathematical thinking in early education, 3) that young primary students can act as successful tutors. Thus, we conclude that teachable agents is a candidate for leveraging learning in educational games to deeper levels that transfer outside the game. This idea combines the motivational power of games with the reflective power of a teachable agent asking though-provoking, deep questions on the learning material during game play.

Pareto, L. (2014). A Teachable Agent Game Engaging Primary School Children to Learn Arithmetic Concepts and Reasoning. In International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, Volume 24, Issue 3, pp 251-283. Springer New York.

Nationellt Centrum för Matematik, NCM, har öppnat en ny nationell webbplats för att stimulera användningen av IKT i matematikundervisningen.

I flera sammanhang länkar NCM till matematikspelet Rutiga Familjen:
- Dataspel hjälper matematikelever
- Dataspelet ”Rutiga Familjen” för utvecklingsstöd

Till AIED konferensen 15th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, in Auckland, Nya Zeeland, presenterade Lena Pareto och kollegorna Tobias Arvemo (Högskolan Väst), Ylva Dahl (Uddevalla Skolor), Magnus Haake samt Agneta Gulz (Lund Universitet) följande artikel 2011 :A Teachable-Agent Arithmetic Game’s effects on Mathematics Understanding, Attitude and Self-Efficacy (eftersom artikeln publiceras internationellt, är den på engelska.)
Abstrakt: A teachable-agent arithmetic game is presented and evaluated in terms of student performance, attitude and self-efficacy. An experimental pre-post study design was used, enrolling 153 3rd and 5th grade students in Sweden. The playing group showed significantly larger gains in math performance and self-efficacy beliefs, but not in general attitude towards math, than the control groups. The contributions in relation to previous work include a new educational game being evaluated, and an emphasis on self-efficacy in the study as a strong predictor of math achievements. » Läs mer

Lena Pareto medverkar i konferensen Framtidens Lärande i Nacka och presenterar Rutiga Familjen under seminariet Matematik – med datorer, internet och digitala spel som har temat: ”Vad kan IT tillföra i matematikundervisningen?”

Spela och lär en agent – och förstå aritmetik

Till EDMEDIA-konferensen World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications in Lugano, Schweiz, presenterade Lena Pareto följande artikel 2004: The Squares Family: A Game and Story based Microworld for Understanding Arithmetic Concepts designed to attract girls (eftersom artikeln publiceras internationellt, är den på engelska.)
Abstrakt: To address the matter of children’s lacking understanding of arithmetic concepts, we have designed an educational environment, a microworld, which we believe stimulate self-regulation and reflective cognition. The microworld is based on an analogical, constructive representation, where mathematical objects and operations are translated into graphical objects and animations. The microworld contains a story, and combined card- and board games. The story is about the Squares Family. It has three purposes: to explain the graphical model; to introduce the games; and to give an understanding of the concepts involved. The purpose of the games is to allow children to use the graphical model and to practice important aspects of arithmetic. The games focus on concepts, not computations, and encourage own discoveries. The combination of a story-based microworld with games shows potential for providing an effective learning environment. The microworld is developed with user-centred design, and there is a prototype in Java. » Läs mer