Can Learning Calculus Be Fun?

Perhaps the main differentiator between humans and other animals throughout history is our ability to learn useful information and pass that knowledge on to others. You won’t find many that will argue that written language wasn’t instrumental in creating civilization. From scroll, to book, to digital screen, we inherently know that written word is a valuable tool for learning. While books are a valuable resource, we also know that learning is enhanced when accompanied by the ability to practice the application of learned concepts.

Several companies have experimented with the idea of using modern technology to create virtual simulations that attempt to give learners the ability to use learned concepts. They have had an inconsistent rate of success in general.

A company called Triseum may have found a formula that works through a product called Variant: Limits. Variant: Limits is a game that attempts to use puzzles and narrative, similar to what is found in mainstream video games, to aid the teaching of calculus. Triseum uses not only video game technology, but also video game design principles, to reinforce learning. The idea behind it is that even adult learners can benefit from learning through play. In this case study I’ll look at three engagement strategies that Triseum uses that contribute to their effectiveness; learning through play, engagement, and risk taking without consequences.

Information Processing

The purpose of Varian: Limits isn’t to teach students calculus from scratch. Rather, it is meant as an aid to reinforce learning. Its methodology fits in well with the Cognitive Information Processing Theory.

In the classroom, students are introduced to mathematical principle of Limits. From what we believe about information processing, learners initially store this information in short-term, or working, memory. They have a small amount of understanding, but so far may have trouble making cognitive connections to other things that they know or experience. Without these connections, it is difficult to move the information from short-term memory to long-term memory.

Puzzles allow players to apply concepts learned in the classroom

Variant: Limits helps to provide that connection. The lessons learned in class are able to be used in what is a very familiar setting for many of today’s youth: a video game. This video game also satisfies another important aspect of information processing. Two core functions are addressed. “First, it provides the learner with knowledge about the correctness of his or her response or the adequacy of his or her performance. While this knowledge is certainly important during learning, it is not sufficient for correcting misconceptions or other errors in performance. The second function of feedback, therefore, is to provide corrective information to the learner that can be used to modify performance.” (Reiser, 2018)

Engagement : Learning Through Play

One challenge with teaching the subject of calculus is engagement. Increased study and use of calculus principles will move short-term information into long-term knowledge and understanding. More cognitive connections are made. However, these things are less likely to happen when students fail to put in enough time and energy into using what they learn.

The traditional way to get students to make use of what they learn is by giving them math problems to solve. This may be from a textbook or other written source. A student will feel an obligation to complete it, but they may not have an actual desire to complete it.

Learning through play is often considered a principle that mainly applies to children. After all, play is the natural way that children experience the world. Their motivation is to explore and enjoy new things. In modern society, we find that many adults spend a significant amount of time engaging in play. This may include sports, physical hobbies, and increasingly, video games.

Variant: Limits explores the idea of getting students to spend time with calculus through play. There is limited research about the effectiveness of this particular methodology, but so far results look promising. André Thomas, the CEO of Triseum and professor at Texas A&M University, stated when asked about the limited amount of research available regarding video games as a teaching tool, ““I have yet to see a single empirical study that shows that a book actually helps a student [learn].” (Foresman, 2019)In the same interview, he also made the point, “I’m not aware of any other thing that would get a student voluntarily to spend eight extra hours on math.”

In an article from online blog site Kotaku, an intern reviewed Variant: Limits and said, “There’s enough worldbuilding and detailed story in the game that it’s easy to forget Variant is about math until you get stuck on a complicated puzzle.” (Spencer, 2017)

Could students be aided in learning math by enjoying themselves so much they are forgetting that they are learning math?

Motivation: Risk Taking Without Consequences

The old adage, “practice makes perfect” is popular for a reason. Practicing what you know not only enhances your memory, but it also helps you discover what you don’t know so that you can improve upon it.

The typical classroom isn’t the ideal place for practice because of the negative consequences associated with making mistakes. Each student is measured for competency and assigned a grade based on that competency at that moment in time. Even if the student eventually does learn the lesson, there is a permanent reminder of their failure in the past in the form of a grade. The focus of students can be on getting a passing grade as opposed to real learning. The focus is short-term.

Variant: Limits takes existing game design mechanics to encourage practice without a permanent record of failure. A student can try to solve puzzles multiple times, experimenting on things that work and things that don’t work. What they learn in the classroom is put to the test, but in a way that doesn’t have permanent consequences.

Former NASA engineer Mark Rober gave popular TED Talk about this. He describes this phenomenon as the “Super Mario Effect.” Rober created two versions of an online programming game where the only difference between the two was that one of them had no penalty for failure. The other gave players 200 arbitrary points, of which 5 would be subtracted for each failure. After over 50,000 data points were collected, Rober found that “those who were penalized for failed attempts, their success rate was around 52%. For those who were not penalized, their success rate was 68%.” (Rober, 2018) The discrepancy was found to be because those that were not penalized for failed attempts made 2.5 times more attempts.

Rober found that allowing multiple attempts without penalty resulted in students making more attempts.

Failure is important because it gives students feedback on what works and what doesn’t. “Feedback from an information processing perspective, then, serves two functions during learning. In essence, feedback completes a learning cycle where the feedback can be used to continually modify what is stored in memory and used to guide performance.” (Reiser, 2018)

Allowing students to fail repeatedly without consequences while trying to solve puzzles may increase the amount of time that they are willing to play the game, and thus, practice calculus.

Conclusion

While there is still a lot of research that needs to be done to find the most effective way to use interactive technology to help students learn, Triseum appears to be on the right track. We may find that focusing on the fun of games may be the key to increasing practice.

References

Barreto, D., Vasconcelos, L., & Orey, M. (2017). Motivation and Learning Engagement through Playing Math Video Games. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction, 14(2), 1–21.

Dickey, M. D. (2005). Engaging By Design: How Engagement Strategies in Popular Computer and Video Games Can Inform Instructional Design. Educational Technology Research & Development, 53(2), 67–83. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1007/BF02504866

Foresman, B. (2019, February 26). Calculus video game boosted test pass rates say Texas A&M researchers. Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://edscoop.com/calculus-video-game-boosted-test-pass-rates-say-texas-am-researchers/

Masek, M., Murcia, K., Morrison, J., Newhouse, P., Hackling, M., & Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE). (2012). Learning in Transformational Computer Games: Exploring Design Principles for a Nanotechnology Game. In Australian Association for Research in Education. Australian Association for Research in Education.

S, P. (2020, April 01). The Super Mario Effect - Tricking Your Brain into Learning More: Mark Rober (Transcript). Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://singjupost.com/the-super-mario-effect-tricking-your-brain-into-learning-more-mark-rober-transcript/

Spencer, C. (2017, August 18). I Learned Calculus With A Video Game, And It Was Surprisingly Fun. Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://kotaku.com/i-learned-calculus-with-a-video-game-and-it-was-surpri-1797982791