UNESCO Professor promotes literacy around the world through educational games
Ulla Richardson is a professor of technology-enhanced language learning at the Ģֱ. She works at the Centre for Applied Language Studies (CALS) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Last year, she was appointed to a high-level position as a UNESCO professor. The objective is to support the right of all the world’s children to learn to read in their native language.
Richardson oversees the development and research of the learning game Lukukupla at the Ģֱ.
“The educational learning game Lukukupla supports the learning and improvement of reading and writing skills,” says Professor Ulla Richardson. “At the same time, the game focuses on the processing of spoken and written language and, above all, on the understanding of written language. It is a training companion that adapts to the skill level of the students by supporting, repeating, and progressing at the student’s own pace.”
Currently, we are working on the Finnish and German versions of Lukukupla and plan to start its development in Northern Sámi.”
Lukukupla takes the idea of the learning game Ekapeli a step further: it is aimed at learners at all levels and the game can place the child, individually and contextually, at the right skill level to develop their literacy.
In a classroom setting this means that everyone is using the same game, but practices and learns at their own pace: each student receives individual learning content, support materials, and exercises on their tablet. The game never tireswith repetition.. The children get meaningful tasks and encouragement. The game’s learning content and adaptability have been developed based on research data, so the child does not need to jump to a level which is too difficult, but the game adapts itself to the skill level of the child.
“The teachers are very excited about the learning support the game provides. We have put a lot of work into content, visualizations as well as localisation and received a lot of good feedback – also on its effectiveness.”
Ekapeli, GraphoGame and now Lukukupla – cooperation between various disciplines
Ekapeli, developed by the Ģֱ and the Niilo Mäki Institute, first became an export product when a Finnish company acquired the GraphoGame brand and its international distribution rights in 2017. Different language versions of the game are available, for example, in European and South American markets and it has almost 7 million downloads
The Ģֱcontinues the game’s research and development under the name. Ekapeli is distributed by the .
Lukukupla, in turn, continues its internationalization efforts. Its development has been promoted by the Swiss foundation Fondation Botnar in the German-speaking regions.
“New upgrades are being made to the French version of GraphoGame,” explains Richardson. “The game is also being prepared with the help of the local linguistic experts for the Icelandic markets. The projects are always interdisciplinary. In addition to local language specialists, neuroscientists, and educationalists also experts from the field of special education, mathematics and IT may potentially be involved.”
There is now a total of thirty games which have been created as the result of international collaboration between researchers.
Research has been conducted on these games, but not all of them are in general distribution. And nor is Lukukupla – or at least not yet.
In Ulla Richardson’sgroup in Agora, software designer Mika Halttunen and linguist Lea Nieminen work on the learning data from the game as well as further game development.
Richardson is particularly happy about the pioneering work to make the game available in Northern Sámi. The platform must be designed to match the language and its cultural area.
첹’s&Բ;version in Finnish is known in Sámiland. It is culturally vital to design support for minority languages together with linguistic and cultural experts. Succeeding in the design will impact how participants perceive the game.
It resembles a learning game which could be used to improve literacy among S2 learners,” says Richardson.
Playing games provides a trove of data to researchers
As a young researcher, Ulla Richardson got access to material which continues to provide endless opportunities. Now she has been responsible for this material for almost twenty years.
“The information and data accumulated from the basic research is a treasure trove,” says Richardson.
“It has involved, for example, studies of speech processing, brain responses in babies and learning difficulties in reading, that is, dyslexia.
The groundwork has been carried out in the Centres of Excellence in Learning and Motivation Research as well as for Human Development and Its Risk Factors. InterLearn, the newest Centre of Excellence, is partly also connected to this research.
Richarson is excited about being able to apply the results from the basic research in such a way that the acquired knowledge can be applied in practice: the students and teachers will get access to a product based on research knowledge.
In addition, as a researcher it is very exciting to continue the research and development work based on the huge quantity of game log data.
“We will be able to view what happens in the learning process on a micro level with the help of this game.”
It is also important to discuss effectiveness. The material will be used to determine how effectively learning games work. The data and models as well as the product are unique in Finland and abroad. The materials are available to and utilised by researchers.
Educational technology at the heart of JYU’s core fields
The work of Ulla Richardson’s team in educational technology brings together the Ģֱ’s core research fields.
It represents the core fields of learning, teaching, and communication as well as language, culture, and society. Research and innovation have been developed with, among other things, funding from the Research Council of Finland and the Ministry of Education and Culture, as well as the European Marie Curie funding that Ulla Richardson received a few years ago, which has already ended.
Ulla Richardson is also a UNESCO professor whose term of office will continue until 2027.
“The UNESCO Chair, that is the professorship agreement, is an important acknowledgement for the university. The world organisation promotes learning and cultural advancement, and its acknowledgement gives the professor an excellent chance to advocate for literacy and learning.”
The universities of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme form a network with a global reach within which linguists promote literacy.
“The work is about sharing knowledge. And we have a lot of it to share.”
According to Richardson, literacy and learning to read in your native language are fundamental rights, and that is why lowering the threshold for learning is essential.
“We should be concerned with the literacy level because it is so heavily built on linguistic communication, thinking, and learning. Reading long texts enriches and develops our language skills, knowledge, and understanding. No googled research results can ever replace this skill.”
Interested in the "Lukukupla" learning game? Please contact Professor Ulla Richardson. The game not yet in general distribution.
