Teaching Secondary Mathematics: Pre-service Teachers' Digital Game Design, Pedagogy and 21st Century Skills

Abstract

This paper reports a study of preservice teachers' learning of pedagogy by immersing them in digital game design and building to teach secondary math. Specifically,
1. What pedagogical skills do pre-service teachers incorporate into their games?
2. What 21st century skills do pre-service teachers demonstrate in the design and implementation of their games?
Framed in a naturalistic research perspective, the participants were 21 preservice math teachers. Data included participants’ created digital games, pre- and post-surveys, and interviews. The results showed that almost all pedagogical categories were being significantly addressed by the participants' created games. During the game building process, participants utilized every 21st century skill to a certain degree, most significantly: creativity, problem solving, collaboration, flexibility and adaptability, and perseverance.