Quote: "What is more, one striking feature of gameplay that seems to be particularly relevant for education is the fact that children and adolescents seem to invest a considerable amount of time and effort in accomplishing tasks that are often very difficult and time consuming."
Response: A few reasons for investment of time may be the uniqueness of the game, a connection or representation of prior experiences, the social aspect, and the fun factor. Also, I don't think that the competition aspect of many games can be ignored. Children and adolescents that are able to play without the high risk of failing, are more willing to continue trying until success has been achieved.
Quote: "However, it is important to emphasize that it is not the resources as such which facilitate learning. On the contrary, its success is very much dependent on how it is incorporated into the practices of the classroom."
Response: This statement says a lot with few words. As educators we can find interesting, eye-catching and motivating games and resources for our students, however if we use these resources without helping our students make connections, create authentic experiences and in the context of what students are learning we are not using best practices. Students may be very successful while playing the game, but can they transfer this success to new situations?
Quote: "However, children often encounter problems when they are exposed to more formal ways of reasoning which are typical of the knowledge and skills taught in schools. Thus, the various semiotic domains taught in school appear unfamiliar because children are not able to situate the meanings in any meaningful context. Gee (2003) introduces a telling illustration when he compares learning a computer game by only reading the manual. According to him, students experience something similar when they first encounter textbooks in school, something which is still, largely, the most dominant medium around which instruction is organized. According to Gee (2003), semiotic signs in schools tend to float free of any concrete realizations in practical meaningful activities. This does not mean that meanings are not situated, but that, on the contrary, the activities and resources through which meanings are constituted are very difficult to grasp and make sense of for many students because they are so dissimilar to their previous experiences."
Response: This quote is an excellent example of what we do not want happening in our school systems. Can you imagine trying to learn a computer game by reading the manual only? It is our duty as educators to understand the new types of learners that we are working with on a daily basis. Also, adjust our instruction to meet the needs of individual students and provide opportunities for meaningful learning. Content is often taught in isolation and quickly, to expose students to a concept and move on, due to time restrictions before assessments.
Resource:
Arnseth, H. C. (2006, December). Game Studies. The International Journal of Computer Game Research, 6(1). Retrieved April 12, 2012
Additional Resource: A podcast based on Games and Learning
Wright, M., & Williamson, B. (2009, December). Games and Learning. In Futurelab . Retrieved April 12, 2012, from http://media.futurelab.org.uk/podcasts/becta_talks/games/
I'm glad you highlighted the low risk of failure in good games as a key to motivating students in school! Transfer of knowledge to new situations is the best assessment of learning!
ReplyDeleteI think Gee's ideas concerning the importance of context to help students create meaning is the single most important factor in improving learning in schools!