In a changing society, it is increasingly important to be adaptable, take initiative and know how to cope in various social situations. However, practising such skills or getting excited about developing them may seem distant to younger students.
Meritorious work is constantly being done in the field of education to make teaching and learning meaningful, interesting, and suitable for different learners. One such approach is to add story elements to pedagogy, for example, through characters, themes, and plots, in other words, storifying education. However, research on storification, its theory and practical implementations are still very much lacking.
In her doctoral research, Master of Arts (Education) Isabella Aura examined storification of pedagogy and learning environments. Part of the research material was collected from Junior Achievement (JA) Finland’s Yrityskylä Primary School learning environment with before and after surveys based on 6th grader students' self-assessment.
Already one day in a storified environment can be significant
JA’s Yrityskylä is a Finnish education innovation that simulates society, work and economy for 6th graders. In Yrityskylä learning environment, students act in different professional roles, for example as a doctor, customer service advisor or chief executive officer for one school day.
“The roles and the storified environment create a playful and gameful atmosphere, which facilitates opportunities also for students who might not normally get excited about such things,” Aura reflects.
In her doctoral dissertation Aura shows that a change in the 6th graders' thinking occurred during just one day spent in the Yrityskylä learning environment. The students felt that they were more enthusiastic and had improved in the measured working life skills and felt that the skills were more important to them than before.
“It was surprising to notice how students' perceptions of themselves and their abilities improved in such a short time. It can be assumed that the more students immersed themselves in the role and its tasks, the more they learned,” Aura describes.
Learning through play is natural to humans
The doctoral research shows that it is worth investing in playful, storified, and gamified teaching methods. However, having a background in teaching herself, Aura also recognizes the pressure society, media, and parents put on schools and teachers. She does not want to push overburdened teachers to revolutionize their teaching but to offer a spark to those who have already perhaps considered whether it is worth investing in playful teaching methods.
“There is a time and a place for a student to sit at a desk and do quiet independent work. However, complex issues, such as the characteristics of society and working life, and the related skills, can be learned more meaningfully and efficiently by using role-playing and playful methods in teaching,” says Aura.
Public defence on Friday 2 February
The doctoral dissertation of Master of Arts (Education) Isabella Aura in the field of games and gamification titled Storification in Formal Education: Experiences, behavior and 21st century skills propensity will be publicly examined in the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University in Auditorium A1 in the Päätalo building (address: Kalevantie 4, Tampere) at 13:00 on Friday 2 February 2024. The Opponent will be Professor Raine Koskimaa from University of Jyväskylä. The Custos will be Professor Juho Hamari from the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University.
The doctoral dissertation is available online
The public defence can be followed via remote connection
Photo: Jonne Renvall
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