The Winning Game: Can a computer game contribute to the development of a culture of success and self-improvement within a school?

In 2003 England won the Rugby World Cup. The then manager attributed some of his team’s success to the ‘winning mentality’ that was instilled in his players through the ‘winning theory’ espoused by their motivational coach, Yehuda Shinar.

This theory has been developed and applied to underpin the design criteria of a new computer game that aims to help the player/learner develop the skills and self-awareness to help them focus on self-improvement and success - be it during sport or learning.

At LTS it was felt that much of the underlying themes within the Winning Theory had natural links to the rationale of Assessment is for Learning, hence our interest in the idea.

Perth HS worked with the game designers to help modify its design and to assist in determining how it can be applied and made sense of in the Secondary school.

This presentation will focus on how the game was integrated into the life of the school and how the pupils developed a mentor programme to help develop a culture of self-improvement and success via the learning that occurred in the game.