Learning should not be passive. Students actively make meaning, test theories & adapt as they try to make sense of the world & themselves. Zoozle Zone EDU games support & reward curiosity, a game play mechanic used by successful commercial games. We also focus on constructivism learning theory to ensure learning in the game is active & thought provoking. Constructivism is one of the major theoretical foundations employed by game-based learning researchers in science education.

Popular commercial games are powerful tools that promote creative problem-solving and critical thinking. Fun failure scenarios provide low stakes failure situations that encourage the player to persevere & try new solutions until they succeed.  Inpsired by great commercial games, we design failure as fun learning experiences that encourages creative problem-solving & persistence in the game. When there is only one solution or an obvious easy solution, there is no stimulus to be creative about your problem-solving process. Therefore, Zoozle Zone EDU games are designed to encourage risk taking, trial & error tinkering, & creative problem solving.

All great games promote mastery level learning. The player must gain skills & knowledge to make progress in the game as they proceed to more difficult levels & confront the boss. Mastery level learning is a transformational innovation in the education system too. Our educational games enable students to move forward at their own pace & repeat levels as they master knowledge & skills. Mastery level mechanics supports higher levels of achievement in game play and in learning. Mastery level learning has been shown to increase students’ retention time of acquired knowledge & skills.

Play is conducive to learning. Great game play provides optimal experiences & enjoyment. Commerical games are designed to promote flow & create states of pure pleasure. Gamers will play these games voluntarily & for long hours. If that game is also educational, students will have more exposure to academic content in that game. Far too many educational games disrupt this flow state by interrupting the game play with quizzes & tests. Persistence in poorly designed educational games is low & off-task behavior is high.  Zoozle Zone EDU games maintain flow & enjoyment by using stealth assessment tools that do not interrupt the game play. Parents & teachers can assess the student’s learning by analyzing these assessment results.