Design games as a tool, a mindset and a structure Kirsikka Vaajakallio

Fig. 4
In the image on the left, a kid pretends talking to a phone with a Make Tools prop during the
first session. In the picture below, kids are playing the Eco Game during the second experiment.
The completed scenario is on the right.
Contrary to our expectations the implemented game-like structure with
turn-takings and rules didn’t overcome the challenges of equal participation
or ground the ideas with current practices. It seemed that children’s
varying skills in writing and drawing created obstacles for collaboration
in some groups in which the most dominant children overruled others, or
resulted in lack of interest in some kids. For example, one boy preferred
to stay under the table most of the game, as illustrated in the quotation
below from our paper (Vaajakallio et al. 2009b). In most groups, however,
children actually discussed various situations relevant to the topic and
documented them on the board while playing the game. Still the discussion
remained aloof from the subsequent design activity that allowed one
to utilise one’s skills and hence seemed to evoke more interest.
Once the children had started playing the design game, we soon noticed
that a boy was missing from one of the groups; he was crawling
under the table while the rest of the group continued the game as if
nothing had happened. Our strategy to support equal participation
was obviously not working. We started to feel anxious. Suddenly
the situation changed, as the kids moved on to build artefacts. They
gathered around the corners of the tables; they were now standing
close to each other, touching various Make Tools, starting to talk.
Creative corners had emerged. (From video recording about the
second session, May 2008)
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