![]() Agile games, simulations and learning activities – Agile Coffee. A colleague approached me recently with a request. He was about to meet with a new division of his company and lead transformation activities at the team level, so he wanted advice on the best agile games to include. As usual, I turned my advice into a blog post so that (hopefully) others can benefit from my experiences. We all know that games are fun and that humans are hard- wired to play. Like most coaches, I use games, simulations and other learning activities fairly liberally in my engagements, but I want to be clear: I never play games just to play games. There has to be a need for taking an activity out of my toolbox and introducing it to the team. Activities that get us out of our chairs are generally good.
The body moves around and gets blood up to our brains. It gives us a chance to get away from the book- fed material and internalize the lessons. All good points, but still we often sell the benefit of game- play short to say something like “this section of the training material is dry, so let’s put a game here”. Including a game or simulation should be thought of as a “teeing up” of the learning objective. Another way to say it: the game creates an effective canvas for painting the picture. It prepares the learners to “get” the message. Just as I wouldn’t force a game into my curriculum for the sake of having a game, I also wouldn’t ignore the opportunity to reinforce the training objective with a valid learning activity. Before I share my list, a quick word on terms. Takes 1. 0- 1. 5 minutes. Each player receives two items: (1) a handout with a menu of features and their prices (2) a sum of play money. The sum total of all players’ money should be less than the total of all feature prices – this introduces scarcity and forces the team to make trade- offs because it’s not possible to purchase all items on the list. Players take turns using their individual sums of money to but the features they deem most valuable. Once players have spent most of their funds (either they don’t have enough individually to make another purchase or they don’t value what’s left on the menu to buy anything else), the group will pool the remaining funds and discuss what to buy from the remaining items. Human Knot . Takes about 2- 3 minutes per round, including instructions. Start with all players standing to form a large circle, facing inside the circle. Everyone moves in close (shoulder- to- shoulder) and reaches their left hand into the mix, grabbing the left hand of another player (not their immediate neighbor). Next, reach in the right hands and grab a new person’s right hand (again, not the neighbor next to you). While keeping all hands connected, the group then proceeds to twist and turn out of the scrambled knot they’ve formed. After a minute or more, the group should once again return to a large circle of people clasping hands. Remember: Safety first. If someone is getting squeezed or about to trip, it’s better to release a hand or two tham to end up with broken bones or sprained thingies. ![]() ELearn Magazine is a leading source of high-quality information on the uses of online learning and training strategies in a variety of contexts for K-12, higher. Alelo CEO Lewis Johnson and NCSU Professor James Lester Receive Prestigious Award for Influential Paper on Pedagogical Agents; Alelo Selected for Military Training. It’s fun if two or more groups of equal number compete to see who can “untie” themselves first. Multitasking . Playing two rounds takes less than 5 minutes. Each player needs one sheet of paper (or on a whiteboard) and something to write with. It’s best if they each have their own stopwatch (phone, duh), but the facilitator can monitor time for the group if necessary. The paper will have three blank columns to be filled in, and the task is the same for each of two rounds. Column one will contain the letters A thru J; column two lists the digits 1 thru 1. I thru X. All finished columns should contain their ten elements in their proper order. The difference between the two rounds comes in how the columns get filled out. In round two, players should write all letters first, before moving on to the digits, and filling in the roman numerals last. Each of the two rounds is timed, and we see that the multitasking of round one consumes a greater time than the focused task completion of round two. Pair- Origami (link) – Illustrates the importance of face- to- face (vs. ![]() ![]() Takes about 1. 0- 1. Divide the players into three groups (A, B & C). Players for pairs in each group. Each pair consists of a folder and a PO (product owner) or manager. All folders get a single sheet of 8. Only the folder player may fold the origami, but both partners may see the instruction sheet. Players in group B sit face- to- face. Only the folder player may fold the origami. The PO/manager may give feedback but may not show the instructions to the folder. Players in group C sit back- to- back. Only the folder player may fold the origami. The PO/manager may read/explain the instructions to the folder but may not see the origami as it’s being folded. When the timer starts, all pairs get to work. When a pair completes their origami, their time gets recorded. The facilitator may (mercifully) call time when it’s apparent that pairs in group C are about to explode. Penny Flip game (link) – Emphasizes value of small batches and process improvement. Four rounds of play takes about 2. Need a roll of pennies (other coins or cards may be substituted)(more description coming soon)Ball Point game (link) – Teaches teamwork and process improvements. ![]() Four or five rounds of play takes about 1. Need 2. 0- 5. 0 balls (balled- up paper works okay) and a large, open space for team to move around.(more description coming soon)These are just a few links to a tiny percentage of games available. For many more activities, I recommend joining the aforementioned Google group: Agile Games as well as visiting some of the great sites that aggregate these invaluable learning activities (eg. Digital Game- Based Learning - Marc Prensky. Digital Game- Based Learning, Marc’s first book, was published in 2. Mc. Graw- Hill, and re- published in 2. Paragon House. It was the first comprehensive look at using digital games for learning (now — finally — a hot topic in education). Still valid, useful, and an excellent introduction to the subject of learning games, Marc’s book describes both the theory and the practice of Digital Games- Based learning, in education, training and the military. And this is just the beginning — ANYTHING can be taught more effectively through Digital Game- Based Learning.”. Read Entire Chapters: Contents: PART ONE: INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND Introduction Chapter 1: The Digital Game- Based Learning Revolution.- Fun at Last!- The Opportunities in the Digital Game- Based Learning Revolution- Primary Learning – Not Just for Review- Case Study 1: The Monkey Wrench Conspiracy: How to get 3 million engineers to learn (and like it)- Case Study 2: In$ider Case Study: How to be sure the people who audit the books get it right (and like it!)- The Promise of Digital Game- Based Learning- The Key Messages Chapter 2: The Games Generations: How Learners Have Changed- How learners have changed- Do they really think differently?- Digital Media: A Second Language- Different from TV: Manipulating versus Watching- So what about attention spans?- 1. Games Generation is different- “Attitude”- Reflection: The Disappearing Skill? Chapter 3: Why Education and Training Have Not Changed- Content- centered versus Learner- Centered Approaches- AFTRB- Tell- Test- The Linear/Logical Approach- A brief history of Learning and Technology- The great “how do people learn?” debate- A history of learning technologies- Instructional Design – Helping of Hurting?- So Why is Change So Difficult? Chapter 4: Digital Game- Based Learning: New Hope for Learner- centered Training and Education- Learner- centered Education- Learning Technologies – A double edged sword- Enormous Potential- Towards A Learner- Centered Environment: What if the Training and Education World were like the Games World?- Motivating Today’s Learners PART TWO: HOW GAMES TEACH. Six Structural Factors- Other types of Interactivity beside Games- “Digital” games- Game Taxonomy – Categories of Games- Computer Game Design- The Impact of good design – the user experience- Computer Game Preferences: Culture and Individuals- Computer Game Rhetoric- Summary – What Makes Games So Engaging? The hidden training tool (shhh!)- Simulations: Are they Games?- Digital Game- Based Learning and the Internet- Digital Game- Based Learning and Handhelds- Conclusion PART THREE: WHAT LEADING ORGANIZATIONS ARE DOING Chapter 9: Digital Game- Based Learning In Business: 4. Examples and Case Studiesfrom the Incredibly Simple to the Amazingly Complex Chapter 1. True Believers: Digital Game- Based Learning in the Military PART FOUR: IMPLEMENTATION Chapter 1. Bringing Digital Game- Based Learning into your Organization- Getting Started- Categories of Digital Game- Based Learning Available- Assessing Your Organization’s Game- Based Learning Style- Learning Management Systems and Digital Game- Based Learning- Fitting Digital Game- Based Learning Into Any Budget- Fitting Digital Game- Based Learning into Corporate Universities and Curricula. Chapter 1. 2: The Roles of Teachers and Trainers in Digital Game- Based Learning — Digital Game- Based Instruction- Leaving Pleasantville- New Roles for Trainers and Teachers- Why Teachers and Trainers Will Make Learning Games- Getting practical. Chapter 1. 3: Convincing Management and Getting the Bucks – the Business Case for Digital Game- Based Learning- What’s the Price Tag?- Getting the Bucks- Examples. Chapter 1. 4: Evaluating Effectiveness: Does It Work?- The Nay- Sayers- The Evidence- What About the Older Generations?- Overcoming Barriers. Chapter 1. 5: So You Have an Idea.
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