SUSEN Teacher guide EN - PowerPlayerpowerplayer.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SUSEN... · 2016. 6. 15. · mathematical skills are acquired in grade seven, the game could also be

TEACHER GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

PowerPlayer Profile Name PowerPlayer

Homepage (URL) http://susen-game.eu

Art des Spiels Strategy game for up to 25 students (up to 5 groups)

Competitive game

Topic Sustainability and entrepreneurship

Goal of game Sourcing energy supply for your company while taking into account both environmental targets and economic considerations.

Optional extensions

Research tasks, Service Learning

Target group Eighth (maybe ninth) grade in comprehensive schools

Relation to school subjects

Social sciences subjects: Social studies, PSHE, Economics, Politics, Citizenship Education

Business and employment studies

Geography

Time frame 4 double periods of 90 minutes each, or

1 project day of 8 periods (of 45 minutes each)

Equipment needed 1 laptop computer for the teacher (preferably with internet access)

Game materials (available on the website): game materials for download and printing, Online Companion for the calculation of the game scores, Case Studies, Service Learning Ideas

About this game

Short description

PowerPlayer is a strategic classroom game for lower secondary schools, in which 12- to 14-year-old students learn about sustainability and entrepreneurship. The game is set in the fictional region of Wattland where five new clothing production companies have established themselves. The students are divided into groups and each group takes on the role of one of the companies. Wattland offers many different types of energy production, both non-renewables and renewables. In order to build a successful business, each group has to reach a certain energy target within the limits of their set budget. As the rounds progress, the students have to consider additional aspects, such as the environmental impact of the energy sources they use. The overall goal is to maintain a reasonable balance between economic considerations and issues of sustainability.

Target group

PowerPlayer was developed for the eighth grade. However, since the necessary knowledge is acquired during playing and through the introduction by the teacher, and the necessary mathematical skills are acquired in grade seven, the game could also be played in grades seven or nine.

PowerPlayer is not limited to a certain type of school, or a certain school subject. It is equally suitable for comprehensive schools and sixth form colleges. The subject matter of the game is cross-disciplinary. Sustainability is not looked at from a natural sciences perspective in the game, so that PowerPlayer would fit well in the social sciences school subjects such as social science, politics, and economics, as well as business and employment studies. The game’s focus on different types of energy sources would also make it suitable for geography or technical subjects.

Playing the game in class

PowerPlayer can be integrated into the timetable of normal classroom teaching, or it can be played over one or two “project days”. The game consists of a total of four rounds. Once the students have fully grasped the game, it is possible that the last two rounds take less time, even though the tasks for the teams are more challenging than at the start. The teachers knows his or her students best and can decide whether to play three or four rounds, depending on the skills of the students.

The game’s learning goals relate to knowledge about sustainability and renewable/non-renewable energies. The teacher will need to give an introduction to these topics before the start of the game. It would also be advisable, however, to give research tasks relating to these topics as homework between the rounds. The students acquire the knowledge on their own by collecting data and presenting their results to their classmates.

In addition to the glossary, the website provides further assistance for including PowerPlayer in your teaching. Ideally you need a laptop/tablet/desktop computer to implement the game, ideally with internet access. The Online Companion on the game website calculates the round scores and the final scores. Depending on your time frame and learning goals you can also make use of the Case Studies and Ideas for Service Learning that are provided on the website. The Case Studies deal with actual companies (or school companies) and provide insights into the conflict between sustainability goals and economic considerations. The Service Learning Ideas offer the opportunity to develop concepts together with the students of how what they have learned in the game can be used for the benefit of the community.

The game can be played in a normal classroom but the groups should have enough space to be able to discuss their game strategies undisturbed. The classroom should be laid out accordingly. All necessary game materials can be found on the website for download and printing. You only need some scissors.

The game is played in four rounds, either in regular classes or on a separate project day. The advantage of playing the whole game in one day is that the students’ motivation remains

intact throughout, as they can directly apply in the next round what they have learned in the previous one(s).

To integrate the game into the regular time table, we suggest setting aside 8 school periods of 45 minutes each. Six of these periods should be planned as double periods. This is how the game could be structured, for instance:

Period 1: Introduction to the topic by the teacher (45 mins)

Periods 2-3: Forming teams, explaining the game rules, playing Round 1 (90 mins)

Periods 3-4: Rounds 2 and 3 (90 mins)

Periods 5-6: Round 4, scoring/de-briefing, discussion (90 mins)

Period 7: Conclusion, consolidation of results (45 mins)

Learning Goals – Why a game? Classroom games offer several advantages, which compensate for the attendant – mainly organisational – problems. They combine task-oriented, cognitive learning with the practice of key competences, and with affective learning. The key competences are as follows:

Methodical competences:

• Problem solving abilities, including analysis, assessing, deciding and evaluating

• Learning to present results

Social and personal competences:

• Working in a team • Learning to discuss in a team • Ability to concentrate • Dealing with disappointments and with uncertainty • Ability to aspire to goals other than your personal ones • Ability to make decisions

Because PowerPlayer targets cross-disciplinary learning, we are using a format similar to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) to display the learning goals (Table 1).

Table 1: Learning goals

Please note that these learning goals refer to the game in combination with supplementary lessons before and after the actual game play. Depending on the age and abilities of the students as well as local curricula, the teacher can include more or less supplementary teaching.

Knowledge Skills Competencea) The learner knows the basic principles of

construction of accounting (revenues, expenses, financial resources).

b) The learner knows the three pillars of sustainability (ecological, economic, social).

c) The learner identifies examples of conflicts between financial outcome and sustainability

d) The learner knows the energy sources and the difference between renewable and non-renewable one’s.

e) The learner understands the impact of different energy sources on the natural environment, particularly the negative effects of using non-renewable energy sources (externalities).

f) The learner knows that energy from renewable sources is often more expensive than energy from non-renewable sources (taking into account all investment, operating and external costs).

a) The learner applies cost-benefit analysis.

b) The learner applies systems thinking (e.g. impact of sustainability measures on production processes).

c) The learner plans expenditures, taking into account the financial needs and capabilities.

d) The learner performs simple math calculations and analyzes the results.

e) The learner works goal-oriented, including taking account of deadlines.

f) The learner works effectively in a group, taking the role of the leader or task executor.

a) The learner takes responsibility of his/her energy consumption profile and is aware of his/her fields of action.

b) The learner is aware of the energy consumption profile of his school.

c) The learner is aware that the social norms have an impact on sustainable development and environmental protection.

d) The learner seeks solutions to potential conflicts between sustainable development and financial objectives.

e) The learner is aware that it is important for companies to achieve a good public image (including environmental friendliness) as well as commitment and trust of their employees.

f) The learner is aware that some companies use environmental awareness only because they hope that a good public image will increase their profits.

a)

Sustainable Entrepreneurship – A Game-Based Exploration for Lower Secondary Schools – SUSEN

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Sustainability and entrepreneurship: How does PowerPlayer fit into the curriculum? Even though economics is not a standalone school subject, the learning goals targeted by PowerPlayer are still relevant for the curricula of several school subjects.

For instance, sustainability is part of the curriculum across many subjects in lower secondary education. We will now give some examples from the local curriculum:

Examples:

Economics education is seen as a relevant field for all school subjects, with a special emphasis on Social Science, Geography, and Business and Employment Studies. One learning goal is that the students learn about the importance the compatibility of economic, ecologic, and social responsibility as the basis for future-proof business decisions.

From grade 7 onwards, the ability to evaluate the sustainability of buying decisions is listed as a competence goal, and issues of saving energy and using resources sustainably are covered in class.

In the elective subject “domestic economy and social studies”, sustainability is a topic in grades 7, 9, and 10, and in “technology and natural sciences” it is covered in grade 8.

In social studies, the focus is on the possibilities of political and social action and deals with the interconnections between political, ecological, social, and economical structures and aims, as well as the related consequences for society. Economy and environment are covered in grade 9, and the protection of the environment is found in many contexts.

Entrepreneurship is defined as a key competence by the EU commission, and consequently it is found in the curricula.

Examples:

Some of the learning goals mentioned include: • Recognising opportunities for initiative in economic life • The ability to make competent, autonomous and responsible economic decisions • By learning about entrepreneurship and self-employment, students begin to learn

entrepreneurial thinking • Students experience the goals and framework of entrepreneurial thinking and

acting, and learn to evaluate them In the curriculum for the subject “Economy and Administration” the learning goals are also mentioned, with the additional suggestion to use classroom games for teaching. In addition to that it is important to understand that using classroom games and dealing with entrepreneurship promotes key competences that are to be fostered across school subjects: social skills, general media competence, self-reliance, and responsibility.



THE GAME

Game Materials

Introductory slides

The slides are in PowerPoint and permit to introduce the context of the game and its basic rules (see below).

Company profiles sheets

Team profiles are A4 sheets presenting the profile of each team, each of which represents a company. The description features their core business, their guiding values, their legal form and key stakeholders. The profile also indicates how the various parameters of the game will contribute to generate the team’s score in each round.

Team profile sheets can be printed on A4 paper in black and white, single-sided. For a successful game, it is important that students become familiar with their team profiles, so you should print 1 copy of the team profile for each team member.

Round sheets

The game is structured in 4 rounds. In each round, each team has to tackle a special task about sustainability and energy provision. Round sheets introduce the key elements of each game round to each team, indicating their budget, their energy need and (for round 2 and 4) special objectives.

Round sheets can be printed on A4 paper in black and white, single-sided. They should be handed out to the teams at the beginning of each round.

Energy board

The energy board provides an overview of all available energy types – these are the resources that players should use to achieve their objectives in each round. For each quantity of energy type, the board indicates the cost and the impact on environment, reputation and satisfaction.

• Environmental impact describes the impact that the energy provision has on the natural environment.

• Reputation describes how positively or negatively external stakeholders and customers perceive the company, based on their energetic decisions.

• Satisfaction describes how happy the company’s employees are with its energetic decisions.

The energy board includes non-renewable sources (Coal, Oil, Gas, Nuclear) and renewable sources (Hydroelectric, Wind, Solar, Biomass).



The energy board should be printed in colour on a single-sided A3 sheet, and 1 copy given to each team. If possible, use cardboard instead of standard paper to make the board more usable and durable.

Action cards

Action cards describe actions that can be taken by companies to invest their money in order to increase satisfaction and/or reputation, or to reduce environmental impact – and consequently increase their score.

Action cards can be printed in colour on one double-sided A4 sheet, and then cut out. Action cards are used only in Rounds 3 and 4, and should be handed out to teams at the beginning of each round (one set of cards for each team). Each team can only use each action card once. For example: if team X uses the action card “Change light bulbs” in round 3, this team cannot use the same card again in round 4.

Score sheets

Score sheets are simple support materials that will help students to test hypotheses in order to find a solution during the game.

Score sheets can be printed in black and white on single-sided A4 sheets. It will be handy to have ready at least 2 copies for each team in each round.

Coins, beans or other placeholders

During the game, students will need small placeholders to mark the solution on their energy board. Useful placeholders can be small coins, beans, buttons, small LEGO bricks, or anything that can fit within a single cell on the energy board.

Each team should have 8 placeholders (they will probably need less, but this is the maximum amount of placeholders they can use)

A computer or mobile device

The scoring part of the game uses a simple mathematical model. In order to simplify the scoring phase, a handy online companion can be used. If you have a mobile phone, a tablet, or a computer, you can access the online companion from the SUSEN website, and input the data for each team after each round. The online companion will do all the maths for you and provide the final round score for each team. Please be aware that the Online Companion does not save the individual scores – instead the round scores must be entered in the Summary Sheet Excel file, downloadable as part of the game materials. With the help of this file you can then determine the round winners and display the game results in a diagram format.

If you do not have access to the internet, you can do the maths by hand – but this might take a while. Please refer to the Scoring section of this manual to learn how.



Game Rules

Teams & spaces

PowerPlayer is a game for up to 5 teams. Depending on the number of students, you can form teams of 3-5 players. For optimal game experience, at least three teams should participate. Each team will take the role of a clothing company.

We suggest that you create the teams, bringing together people that can work well together, and making sure that at least one student with good maths skills is in each team.

During the game, each team sits around one table, so that they can work with their cards without seeing other teams’ cards. So make sure that the room has an appropriate layout.

Game goals

In each round, each company has the task of covering a certain energy need while considering budget limitations and round-specific restrictions and rules. The overall goal is to grow a healthy company.

Preparation

Before playing the game, players should be introduced to the imaginary Wattland region where the game is set. The game introduction presentation will help you in the process. Here is a sample narrative.

Wattland is a highly productive region that enjoys the benefit of having many different energy sources available. As you can see in the map, Wattland’s companies can choose from non-renewable energy sources such as coal, gas, oil, and nuclear energy. Also, they can buy energy from renewable sources: wind, solar, hydroelectric, and biomass energy.

At this stage, you might want to introduce in more detail the different types of energy production. Of course, this could have been already covered in previous classes, or be discussed later on.

As a special case, the local government decided that companies should directly choose and make public what energy they use for their purposes. Of course it is not an easy decision: Different types of energy have different costs, and have a different impact on the environment. For example, oil is not an infinite resource, and needs to be transported. Also, burning oil creates air pollution. We call this environmental impact.

Also, customers are aware of environmental issues – so that if a company pollutes the environment, or is not sensitive to environment issues, it will have a bad reputation. So, the image of the company is also at stake here.

The same is true for employees: All companies need employees that are proud of working for them and the type of energy sourced, has an impact on that. We call this satisfaction.



How does this work? Let’s take an example.

Here you can show the readymade example of AtMart, a food supermarket in Wattland. The game introduction presentation provides the materials for discussing the example. When you present how it works, you can show on an energy board how the solution can be marked with placeholders.

In this game you will take on the roles of 5 companies that design, produce, and sell clothing in Wattland. As you can see in the map, there is a kind of “sport valley” in Wattland, where you have your offices and plants.

Companies are of different sizes, and have different energy needs. Here are the description of your companies. Please read them carefully, as they contain important information for you to succeed in the game.

At this stage teams can be formed. Hand out to each team its company profile, and ask them to read it. Ask each team to briefly introduce itself to the others. Make clear that companies are all different in size (some are smaller, some are bigger) and also have different clients – for some clients the environment is more important than for others, and that reputation or satisfaction have more impact in some cases than in others.

If you have time, you can give students extra time to develop a brand logo and a slogan, or any other element of corporate identity. This will help them get into the game setting and mood.

Playing a round

The game consists of 4 rounds. Each round follows the same game structure, which is presented in the following paragraphs.

Opening. Distribute round cards to players. These cards contain information about the available budget (in the Wattland currency, “Watties”) and the energy need that each team has to reach in the round.

Solving the challenge. By moving placeholders on the energy board, teams should calculate a suitable energy provision solution in order to get as close as possible to achieving their objectives and make the best score. In addition to their energetic needs, they should keep in mind the general values and objectives of the company, which will impact the final game scoring. Students can work with score sheets to prepare the solutions they wish to introduce to the rest of the class.

Revealing the solutions. Each team presents its solution, together with the reasons why it has been chosen.

Scoring. Each team inputs its solution in the online companion. The online companion will make sure teams’ solutions actually meet the round’s objectives, and will calculate round scores (see the Scoring section of this handbook to learn more about scoring). Remember to print out or mark somewhere the round scores of each team, as you will need them for the final phase of the game.

Declaring the winner. The round winner is the group that reaches the highest score. The score calculation takes into account all parameters given on the cards, and whether or not players have



reached the goal of the round. If a team had failed to achieve its goals in a round, it will get 0 points for that round. In Round 2 and Round 4, special awards are assigned as well.

Debriefing. As a teacher, you will coordinate a debriefing session, discussing the round’s outcomes and process with students. Sample questions and guidelines for each round are available in the following pages.

Concluding the game

During the last session of the game, all round scores for each team are added up, so that a final score can be calculated, and the final winner can be declared. Special award winners in Round 2 and Round 4 should also not be forgotten.

This will allow to wrap up the lessons learned in each round, and to draw conclusions from the PowerPlayer game experience.



THE FOUR ROUNDS

Each round poses a specific challenge to the teams. In solving these challenges, the learners will reflect on specific issues connected with energy provision, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.

Round 1. Starting out

In this round, the teams are new companies that need to start their business, by meeting specific energetic goals while using a limited initial budget. The goal of this round is to learn how the game works, but also to understand that “energy” is a concept that can have many interpretations and consequences in practice. Action cards are not used in this round.

Round 1 provides an opportunity to learn about budgeting and discuss different types of energy production (see glossary), and their impact on the natural environment, as well as how they are presented in the public opinion. The debriefing should include strategic reflections as well as questions about economic and ecological factors. Questions and impulses could be:

• Each group briefly presents its reflections on strategy: How did they find their solution? How did they divide labour?

• Why do companies not always choose the cheapest energy resource? • What are reasons to reduce energy costs? Think of a company’s function and of the role of

competitors. • Why does the game board show a correlation between environmental points and

reputation? In your opinion, is it realistic?

Additional research tasks for students can include learning which energy sources are actually present in school’s country/region, and which energy types are used by local companies. Another task could be to visit the websites of regional energy providers and to identify offers for companies and private persons: What energy mix do they use? Is there an offer of ‘green’ energy? Compare the prices between ‘green’ offers and traditional ones. Why is the price per kW/h lower for companies than for households?

Six case studies were developed that function as a real life example for each of the four rounds. Each case study is written as a narrative in four consecutive chapters. Choose one of the case studies to illustrate the round theme with a real life example. For round 1, use the first part of the case study.

Round 2. Improving sustainability

In round 2 teams will have to achieve new objectives: They are now established companies, and they have a larger budget, so that they should easily achieve the objective. However, they want to be more environmentally sustainable, and they have to take care of an additional goal: improving



their previous environment and reputation scores. In this way, they will focus on the relationship between energy, environment, and reputation – which is the goal of this round. Action cards are not used in this round.

This round has two winners: the one with the best score, and the one with the best improvement in reputation and environment scores (between Round 1 and Round 2) as special award winner.

Round 2 provides an opportunity to discuss the fact that in order to respect the environment, more financial resources are needed. Being sustainable is not cheap! The very idea of investment and of trade-off can be discussed. Debriefing questions and impulses could be:

• Strategy: Did you change your strategy? Parts of it? What was the consequence of your higher budget?

• What connections can you see between economy and ecology in general? In a company’s goal orientation?

• Discuss: If money is available, should a company raise its employees’ salaries or adopt a “green policy”?

Additional research can include what local companies can do for improving their sustainability, and also what families can do for the same goal. Can small social units – like families – make their contribution? How?

To illustrate the theme of round 2 with a real life example, use the second chapter of the case study you have chosen at the beginning of the game.

Round 3. Beyond energy provision

Round 3 is about expanding the discussion beyond energy provision. Companies are growing, and they have space for actually choosing what to do. In this round action cards are introduced, and teams can therefore do other things than just purchasing energy. The learning goal of this round is about other activities that can be done in order to improve sustainability beyond choosing energy sources. The actions presented in action cards can be discussed, as well as other sustainability related actions.

Round 3 provides many opportunities for discussion about the actions presented in the action cards – and around other actions related to sustainability. How important is it to indicate on your products that they are sustainable? Is it right that goods are more expensive because they are produced in a sustainable way? Debriefing:

• Strategy: Why did you use action cards? Why not? • Various reflections on action cards are possible:

a) Comparison of the points for individual factors and discussion. (E.g.: Why do you get more reputation points for an awareness campaign than for changing light bulbs? Why do green tags not increase environmental points?)



b) Discuss the conflict between economy and ecology looking at the different actions. c) Can you identify possibilities to save energy for your school on the action cards?

• We are only talking about energy costs: What other costs do you know?

Additional research can include the analysis and discussion of strategies adopted by local and global companies. Again, what families and households can do can also be a rich topic for discussion and practice.

To illustrate the theme of round 3 with a real life example, use the third chapter of the case study you have chosen at the beginning of the game. Besides the case studies, you can also find practical example for each of the action cards. Use them to illustrate the sustainable actions to your students with a real life example.

Round 4. Striking a balance with renewable sources

In this round companies have grown big – and they start having a narrower margin: they now have less money than before to achieve their energetic goals. So, they will have to choose what to do.

This round will have two winners: the one with the best score, and the one with the highest proportion of renewable energy.

Round 4 provides an opportunity for a wrap-up discussion about the challenges of and for more in-depth learning about renewable sources. Debriefing:

• Compare the overall scoring of the companies and discuss the best strategy. • Compare the results looking at the different factors and the company profile. Use the Excel

file. • Discuss labour division and communication in the groups. • The game: Compare it to other forms of lessons looking at motivation and discipline

continuity. • Create a table with your class collecting company goals in general, advantages and

disadvantages of acting ecologically as a company. • Discuss possibilities of individuals and government to give companies reasons for a use of

renewable energies.

Additional research can include expanding the view on renewable energy production.

To illustrate the theme of round 4 with a real life example, use the fourth chapter of the case study you have chosen at the beginning of the game. Besides the case studies, you can also find practical example for each of the action cards. Use them to illustrate the sustainable actions to your students with a real life example.



SCORING

The scoring part of the game uses a simple mathematical model. In order to simplify the scoring phase, the online companion can be used. This section is useful if you want to explain to students how the scoring works, or if you do not have access to the internet and need to calculate round scores by hand.

During each round, teams find a solution for buying the required amount of kWh/m within the limit of their budget. They do this by using different types of energy, which all add up a certain amount of environment, reputation and satisfaction points. As an example, let’s take a company that requires 1000 kWh/m, and has a budget of 2600 W (“Watties”, the Wattland currency). A solution is valid if the company:

1. Purchases the exact amount of required kWh/m (i.e. exactly 1000 kWh/m) 2. Has a total cost within the limit of the budget (i.e. lower than 2600 W)

If these two conditions are not met, the team’s solution is invalid. It will get 0 points for that round. If the solution is valid, the round score for each team is a function of the totals of environment (ENV), reputation (REP) and satisfaction (SAT) points. The function is different for each team, as it corresponds (a) to its unique structure and organizations and (b) to its size (so that eventually all scores are comparable)

Also, any left-over budget is reinvested in the aspect that counts more for each company. For example, if a company that is focused on reputation saves 5% of its budget, it will have its REP points multiplied by 1.05 (we call this factor SAV).

Following are the score functions for each team:

Ocean S = (10 x ENV x SAV + 6 x REP + 4 x SAT) / 8

Oldies Goldies S = (5 x ENV + 5 x REP + 10 x SAT x SAV) / 6

Flourish! S = (5 x ENV + 10 x REP x SAV + 5 x SAT) / 5

ToTheEdge S = (10 x ENV x SAV + 4 x REP + 6 x SAT) / 7

Platinum S = (3 x ENV + 10 x REP x SAV + 7 x SAT) / 9

The last figure in each formula reflects the size of company to make the results of the calculation comparable. For example, Ocean is “size 8” and Flourish! is “size 5”. This means that all the numbers of Flourish! (budget, energy needs, scores) are calculated no a proportion of 8/5 with respect to Ocean.



The scoring system remains the same throughout all rounds. In round 2 and round 4, special awards – not calculated in the round score – should be given for the best improvement in environment between round 1 and round 2 (Round 2), and for the team with the highest proportion of renewable energy sources (Round 4).

Documents

SUSEN Teacher guide EN - PowerPlayerpowerplayer.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SUSEN... · 2016. 6. 15. · mathematical skills are acquired in grade seven, the game could also be