Motion Blitz: a new card game for assessing students’ thinking level about physics

Abstract

Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are crucial for the 21st century. Game-based learning (GBL) is a powerful teaching strategy for fostering these skills amongst students. GBL can reinforce knowledge and bridge the gap between what is learned by creating dynamic, fun, and exciting learning environments. This research developed a card game called “Motion Blitz” for teaching the physics concept of motion in one and two dimensions. Motion Blitz is a quick matching card game that consists of a deck of “Motion Cards” which picture motions in daily life and a selection of “Motion Symbols” displaying a path of motions: linear, projectile, circular, rotational, rolling, and simple harmonic motions. To play the game, one player starts by flipping over one of the “Motion Cards”, then simultaneously everyone tries to figure out the proper “Motion Symbol” to grab. Figure it out and grab the right one to get the card/point. After playing, the teacher uses questions to stimulate student thinking and help students construct scientific knowledge. Finally, 12 questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy are administrated to students. These questions are classified according to different cognitive levels ranging from low-level thinking (knowledge, comprehension) to high-level thinking (application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation). Data analyses showed Motion Blitz’s ability to elevate students’ thinking level, over 90% of students scored well at a low level and 59% at a high level approximately. In addition, data indicated that students’ thinking scores became lower at a higher level of thinking.