In this article, the authors present variants to the classic problem the Prisoner's Dilemma. They discuss how senior secondary school students can use these variations to explore basic game theory concepts and develop mathematical proficiencies and practices. They also suggest how students can apply these concepts to decision-making processes in…

This study focuses on pre-service teachers' experimentation with a game-modding process in a constructionist setting whilst they experimented with randomness embedded in wider socio-scientific issues that call for decision making under uncertainty. In this process, participants created 39 different game mods. Our observations of the participants…

Promoting student engagement for all students in physical education, and specifically in game play, is a challenge faced by many middle and high school physical education teachers. Often, the games we play in physical education are not "good games" because, as early as middle school, some students are already resistant to playing…

Sex education is almost as sensitive a topic in public schooling as is the imposition of high-stakes testing. Both typically claim to be value-free contributions to the development of the student's cognitive, psychological and sometimes even moral maturity. Ironically each seems to short-change students in all three areas of development. The focus…

Game theory may be a fruitful basis for educational theory. After describing games and related concepts like "utility," the author sets up examples of how games may be used as a basis for selecting teaching strategies. For instance, a teacher may decide to change many aspects of his teaching style, rather than just one at a time, if there is a…

This paper analyzes a simple game-theoretic model of curriculum integration decision-making in a high school with academic and vocational tracks. The model is based on a formal theory of how curriculum integration affects learning. Teachers choose to include a curriculum integration unit in their classes only when it increases learning relative to…

Involving students directly in decision-making through environmental gaming simulations will allow them to better understand the theoretical base of their actions, test their ideas, confirm their reality, and see the practical consequences of various alternative strategies of action. This instructional technique moves beyond the case study stage…

This paper considers techniques, games and simulations, to deal with the broad area of decision-making in a variety of problem situation. Since violence is a learned behavior, there are alternative ways to handle conflict situations. Simulation games have been utilized primarily in research. The purpose of this paper is to correct this imbalance,…

The two major purposes of this book are to be an introduction to the development of instructional simulation systems in higher education and to provide a useful compendium of experimental simulation experience for those wishing to consider and utilize these and related techniques at the university level. Each paper attempts either to present a…

Simulation gaming is an instructional technique, uniquely suited to enhance the repertoire of the social studies teacher. As its name suggests, simulation is anything that recreates reality. A game, on the other hand, is an activity in which (1) participants agree to abide by a set of expectations in order to create an experience and (2)…

The use of simulation games is considered by which the college teacher addresses selected topics by having students engage in activities that approximate the realities of a social situation. Simulations offer a stimulus for examining theoretical models and their applicability to everyday social situations. The Prisoner's Dilemma is presented as an…

Describes a modified values auction simulation game, reports on three levels of analysis employing actual classroom data (group, subgroup, and individual), and offers suggestions for utilizing values data in social research. (CMV)

Values of games as teaching strategies are outlined. In the simulation described in this paper students assume certain roles, analyze information, and make decisions. This is an example of how gaming might be used in a problem solving situation in a high school or college classroom. (SM)

A study of the Oklahoma Farm Management Decision Exercise was made to explore and appraise ways of teaching farm management. A general computer model was developed which allowed the administrator flexibility in teaching, accommodated any size of farm and any set of feasible crop and livestock activities, and identified superior strategies for the…