Lucinda Cameron
Primary pupils are to start the school day with a dose of Nintendo gaming to boost their learning ability, it was revealed yesterday.
The children will play "brain training" exercises on the DS game console before going into their normal lessons.
The scheme is to be used in 16 schools following a successful pilot in Dundee.
A study in the city's St Columba's Primary found that a daily session on Nintendo's More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima helped improve pupils' attainment in maths as well as their concentration and behaviour levels.
Learning and Teaching Scotland, (LTS) the body responsible for the development of the curriculum, is to extend the project around the country next month.
Derek Robertson, LTS Development Officer for games-based learning, said: "The initial pilot project that used the Nintendo DS and Dr Kawashima produced fascinating results.
"Not only was there a significant improvement in attainment in mental maths but there was also an improvement in concentration levels, behaviour and self regulation in the learning process.
"It will be interesting to see how this applies on a larger scale."
The St Columba's P5 and P6 pupils used the games consoles, which are supplied by LTS, for 20 minutes at the start of each day for 10 weeks.
It featured reading tests, problem-solving exercises and memory puzzles designed to exercise the brain.
They were given a maths test at the beginning and the end of the 10-week experiment, with the final result showing a 10% average improvement.
The average time taken to complete the tests dropped from 17 minutes to 13 minutes and 19 seconds.
There was also a notable improvement in the pupils' concentration.
LTS is working with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education and the University of Dundee to carry out a larger pilot of the scheme, with 16 schools using the game every morning and another 16 acting as the control group.
Mr Robertson said: "Game-based learning can provide dynamic and culturally relevant contexts that engage, motivate and challenge today's young learner."
The schools involved are in the Western Isles, Dundee, East Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire and more than 900 pupils will take part. Pupils will be tested at the start of the 10-week study and then again at the end.
LTS's Scottish Centre for Games and Learning explores the range of games technologies available, looking at how they can have a positive influence on education.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We are extremely supportive of this work, which is aimed at providing new educational opportunities and which also helps teachers in choosing new and innovative ways to teach.
"LTS receives £6m a year from the Government for work on ICT projects and we are committed to ensuring that all our schoolchildren can benefit from an increase in curriculum resources available for Scottish schools."
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