ASE 2027 Annual Conference

Game-Based Learning (GBL) offers powerful opportunities to enhance engagement, motivation, and conceptual understanding in science education. As science educators seek approaches that support curiosity, resilience, and active participation, well-designed learning games—both digital and non-digital—can create meaningful contexts in which students explore scientific ideas through investigation, collaboration, and problem-solving. This session explores how game-based approaches can be integrated thoughtfully into science teaching to support disciplinary knowledge, scientific practices, and inclusive classroom participation.

Rather than treating games as rewards or add-ons, the session focuses on using game-based strategies as structured learning experiences that align with curriculum goals and support progression in scientific understanding. Participants will explore how game mechanics such as challenge, narrative, feedback, role-play, and iteration can be used to strengthen students’ reasoning, modelling, and evidence-based thinking. Examples will include classroom-ready activities that support topics such as ecosystems, forces, energy, particle models, and scientific enquiry skills across primary and secondary settings.

A key emphasis of the session is the role of games in supporting inquiry-based science learning. Game environments naturally encourage experimentation, hypothesis testing, and revision of ideas—processes that mirror authentic scientific practice. Participants will consider how carefully designed gameplay can help learners explore complex systems, visualize abstract concepts, and develop persistence when working through challenging ideas. These approaches help students move beyond memorization towards deeper conceptual understanding.

The session will also highlight how game-based learning can support inclusion and participation. Games can provide alternative entry points into science for learners who may not respond as positively to traditional instructional formats. Collaborative gameplay can encourage discussion, peer explanation, and shared reasoning, helping to build confidence and scientific identity among a wider range of students. Examples will demonstrate how low-cost and accessible game strategies can be adapted for diverse classroom contexts without requiring specialist technology.
Assessment is another important focus. Participants will explore how teachers can use gameplay to gather evidence of student thinking through observation, dialogue, and reflective activities embedded within game experiences. Approaches will be shared for designing purposeful learning games that make students’ reasoning visible while maintaining high expectations for scientific accuracy and rigor. These strategies support formative assessment while promoting engagement and curiosity.

Importantly, the session will address how teachers can select or adapt games in ways that maintain strong pedagogical purpose. Participants will consider how to evaluate whether a game supports conceptual learning rather than distraction, and how gameplay can be integrated within sequences of lessons rather than used in isolation. Practical frameworks will help teachers identify opportunities where game-based approaches can enhance—not replace—effective science teaching.

This interactive session is suitable for educators across primary and secondary phases who are interested in expanding their teaching repertoire through evidence-informed and classroom-ready strategies. Through discussion, shared examples, and collaborative reflection, participants will leave with practical ideas they can adapt immediately to support engaging, rigorous, and inclusive science learning through game-based approaches.