Game-Based Structural Debriefing: A Design Tool for Systems Thinking Curriculum

Abstract

Systems thinking skills have been recognized as part of the core science literacy, and more recently, as critical 21st century skills. While several studies have investigated how games can be used to facilitate students’ systems thinking skills, little is known about how teachers can design game-based curriculum. In this study, we investigate a pedagogical framework called Game-Based Structural Debriefing (GBSD) as a means for bridging affordances of games with curriculum activities that teach systems thinking. GBSD adapts standard systems thinking practices that have been established by the Systems Dynamics community. Using the design-based research method from Learning Sciences, we investigate the GBSD framework by working collaboratively with three middle school life science teachers.

Keywords: Game-Based Learning; Systems Thinking; System Dynamics; Curriculum Design; STEM Education