The Consolarium - Scottish Centre for Games and Learning (Scotland, UK)

• Scotland

The Consolarium has been established by Learning Teaching Scotland, a public body sponsored by the Scottish Government Schools Directorate. This centre has recently been relocated from LTS’ Dundee office to the University of Abertay in Dundee, a university that in February 2009 became the UK’s first ever university centre of excellence for computer games education, and has received a £3 million investment from the Scottish Government. The Consolarium initiative only concerns Scotland, however the initiative has had influence in England also. Moreover, Derek Robertson, Scotland's National Adviser for Emerging Technologies and Learning, has presented the work of the Consolarium in various countries abroad. To date, the Consolarium has worked in partnership with 30 out of 32 local authorities in Scotland.

The Consolarium is funded entirely by Teaching Learning Scotland (www.ltscotland.org.uk).

The Consolarium has worked with roughly 500 teachers in Scotland so far, to retro-fit commercial-off-the shelf games in to the teaching and learning that happens in nursery, primary and secondary classes. This means taking a game that was not originally designed for education and adapting its use so that it can be used to address educational needs and aspirations for learning. Most of the initiatives the Consolarium has undertaken in the past two years have involved the practical application of commercial, off-the-shelf games available for the Wii, DS, PS2, PS3, PSP and the Xbox 360.

The Consolarium’s online presence aims to provide schools with a range of resources, features and links that will assist teachers' understanding, appreciation and practical application of computer games in learning contexts. The aim is to create opportunities and frameworks for partnerships with local authorities that wish to explore how games-based learning can impact on teaching and learning in their schools. Schools and local authorities are welcome to visit the Consolarium, to contribute to the community or to ask for resources to be brought to them to support CPD (Continuing Professional Development) or any new initiatives.

The Consolarium has been established in order to:

• explore the range of games technologies available and in doing so practically and theoretically inform and influence curriculum development for the 21st century;
• provide a space where teachers and others involved in education can visit and get hands-on access to these resources
• encourage teachers and educators to engage with the debate about the place of such technology in their class, school or local authority
• reflect on how ‘out of school’ learning can be encouraged and maximised
• develop relationships with local authorities, academic and industry partners to extend, and refine effective and innovative practice with computer games.

So far the Consolarium's work has mainly targeted primary school students. However some work has also taken place with nursery and secondary classes, and work with these age-groups is currently being extended.

• Pedagogical

The Consolarium has a comprehensive range of games-related resources as well as state-of-the-art teaching materials. These include:

• Sony Playstation 3
• Microsoft Xbox 360 live
• Sony Playstation 2
• Nintendo Wii
• Sony PSP
• Nintendo DS
• a PC and a Mac designed for use with games
• a range of peripherals such as Eye Toy, Dance Mats and guitars
• an ever-growing catalogue of console and PC/Mac-based games
• Promethean Activision+2 interactive whiteboard with sound system and an integrated wireless network for collaborative game play.

• Miller, D.J. & Robertson, D.P. (in press) Using a games console in the primary classroom: Effects of the ‘Brain Training’ programme on computation and self-esteem. British Journal of Educational Technology

TThe Consolarium carried out an initial small-scale study in 2007, to explore how computer games can impact on and enhance learning in classrooms in a practical, accesible and manageable way. The study involved the use of a game for the Nintendo DS called 'Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training'.

For the results of this small-scale study see: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk

• In April 2008, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) was carried out following the initial small-scale study mentioned above, using the same game and conducted in partnerhsip with the Univeristy of Dundee. This extended study involved 32 schools from four local authorities in Scotland with a sample size of 634 pupils aged 10-11.
  For the extended study summary see: http://ltsblogs.org.uk/

• Learning and Teaching Scotland articulates 'how computer games can help develop the four capacities' identified in Scotland's new Curriculum for Excellence, on the Consolarium's website. See:http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/

• The 'experiences and outcomes' curricular document, part of the Technologies area of Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence, explicitly mentions the use of 'electronic games' under the section on 'computing science contexts for developing technological skills and knowledge'. See: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk

• For a description of the work of the Consolarium and particularly the results of the RCT trial mentioned above, see 'How are digital games used in schools?' (European Schoolnet, 2009), pp. 19-28. Available at: http://games.eun.org/