"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." (Arnseth, 2006)
Students (of all ages) often try to spend as little time as possible in a "learning" environment. We all seek to gain the most value for the least amount of effort and when we can be engaged in a manner that is entertaining as well as educational we are all quick to join in. I liked Arnseth's use of the word edutainment and describes this transitional to game based learning. I am personally a big fan of edutainment.
"The fact that children, adolescents and adults learn important lessons about themselves and their surroundings by engaging in game-like activities is uncontroversial. Throughout social and behavioural science discourse on social and cognitive development, gameplay is regarded as an important arena for the development and formation of thinking, identities, values and norms (Cole, 1996; Piaget, 1951; Rogoff, 1990)." (Arnseth, 2006)
We have had other readings that spoke to the use various simulation based programs such as Civilization and their effect in the classroom. The integration of computer based learning through gameplay has added a new dimension to the classroom. In the 1970's teachers arranged for penpals for students, resulting in connection to the larger world outside the classroom. This arrangement resulted in long delays in communication, but did provide a connection. By the 1990's the traditional pen pals had been replaced with electronic coorespondence and today teacher's can connect with classrooms around the world for virtual communication and collaboration. While this is not gameplay yet, the future is there as the next generation. Imagine having 7th grade social studies students from classrooms in different states or even countries engaged in playing World Civilization together.
This virutal world for Penpals is exciting. Visit e-Pals for more information. Imagine the possibilities in connecting your classroom with the world.
“That is to say, the instructional context is probably a more important predictor of learning. There is some evidence indicating that students do better when learning tasks are embedded in a context of gameplay rather than, for example, a paper and pencil test.” (Arnseth, 2006)
It is easy to connect the dots in Arnseth's article to reach the conclusion that gameplay can be used to enhance an educational environment. Students are willing to engage for protracted periods of times in virtual environments that stimulate them. During that virtual time they develop mental and physical skills (hand eye coordination) that they can utilize in the real world. Additionally, it allows them to utilize new knowledge in an engaging manner that may reinforce the information through contextualization.
There are a variety of studies, reports, and publications on the importance of contextual learning, including The Effectiveness of Using Contextual Clues, Dictionary Strategy and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Learning Vocabulary which shows a comparison between various types of contextual learning. The resource is a bit dry, but does support the importance of contextual learning.
Additionally, I found a website owned by Ollie Bray which supports this connection of dots. His ebook http://www.slideshare.net/Microsofteduk/playful-learning-computer-games-in-education is insightful. I particularly liked the following quote: "These factors combined with the knowledge that good teachers have always used games and play in their classrooms from the early years "play-based" curriculum to the multiple-choice games and simulations that are found within many secondary /highschools." (Bray, pg 6).
Citations:
Ali, Z. "The effectiveness of using contextual clues, dictionary strategy and computer assisted landguage learning (CALL) in learning vocabulary." Academia.edu. http://www.academia.edu/1177505/THE_EFFECTIVENESS_OF_USING_CONTEXTUAL_CLUES_DICTIONARY_STRATEGY_AND_COMPUTER_ASSISTED_LANGUAGE_LEARNING_CALL_IN_LEARNING_VOCABULARY
Arnseth, H.C. "Learning to play or playing to learn - A critical account of the models of communication informing educational research on computer gameplay." The International Journal of Computer Game Research. Vol. 6 No. 1. 2006 http://gamestudies.org/0601/articles/arnseth
Bray, O. "Ollie Bray creativity and innovation in learning." http:\\www.olliebray.com
E-Pals Inc. "e-Pals Where learners connect." http://www.corp.epals.com/
Its true! Many of the best practices in teaching and learning that relate to game play have been around for decades. Its a wonder then that they are not more universally applied in schools.
ReplyDeleteI think it's strange that play is so highly encouraged in early childhood, but once kids get to school the focus changes to "learning" - but the truth is that the "play" in early childhood is learning.
ReplyDeleteI had a penpal from Germany growing up.... which opened up the world to me. She grew up in East Germany and I got to meet her and visit her home when I was 18. My connection to her was how I really understood and learned the history of Germany after WWII and the events leading up to the Berlin Wall coming down. The possibility of kids having e-pals in different places of the world is really exciting and can make the reality of studying about a place come alive in a very different way.
I agree that the Civ games are perfect to introduce some subjects into the classrooms. The historian in me wishes that they would get everything right, but the programmer knows that there have to be some exchanges made for the sake of gameplay.
ReplyDeleteI loved the link that you provided. I liked how it showed how an a game could be an educational experience and teach across the curriculum. The slide that I was looking at was the Kinect Adventure - I liked that this game was able to address all content areas while allowing the student to go through an adventure.
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