How to Play Board Games? A Framework Proposal for Classroom Settings

Abstract

Abstract Board games have been mainly used in school in order to develop students’ cognitive skills such as recognizing oneself intellectual potential, developing different and original strategies in confronting problems, developing quick thinking and decision-making skills, and using reasoning and logic correctly and effectively. However, detailed guidance about how the teacher could manage the game-playing process and about how it will play a role in helping students achieve the targeted skills has not been provided in the studies on games, the curriculum, or the game guides. In this study, a framework for the teacher in managing the process of playing board games is proposed. This framework is based on the Theory of Didactical Situations and has been developed in the context of strategic board games that are mostly played against an opponent on a board and do not involve luck. Pentago was used to illustrate the proposed framework. At the end of the study, the use of this framework for other board games is also discussed.