For Assignment 3 in OLTD 508, we were given the task of identifying three elements of Game-Based Learning (from James Paul Gee) that attract us or we could see using in our own teaching practice, in addition to defining several terms that flesh out our understanding of the Gaming world and its connections to education. I decided, as usual, to represent my findings visually, but felt the infographic needed more discussion. Here goes. Before I could identify the elements of James Paul Gee's work that appealed most to me as a learner and teacher, I really needed to know more about Gaming and education. I am not a Gamer, though I do (secretly) love competition and enjoy the addition of game elements (i.e. Gamification) into courses that I've taken. However, I didn't have a clear sense of the difference between Game-Based Learning (learning happens while playing the game) and Gamification (game elements are a persuasive element added as secondary to the learning activities).
I could easily see myself gamifying one of my courses. I love the idea of assigning XP instead of "grades" and the personalization that is possible when you start allowing students to pick their own quests and path through the learning. This is all very much in tune with my credo of education, and my desire to honour individual differences and choice while working towards student engagement and mastery learning. . Integration of Game-Based Learning was more difficult for me to envision. My daughters, aged 5 and 7, have been learning how to play chess using the free games and tutorials on Lichess.org, and the strategy and theory involved in learning these skills fits nicely with algorithmic and computational thinking outcomes. The games on Lichess seem to be Serious Games, as the intended purpose is to learn, while the enjoyment that my girls have playing them is a pleasant bonus. My online Biology students could play a Simulation to dissect a frog or explore the human body systems, giving them virtual hands-on experience. To be honest, I haven't put much thought into having my students achieve any learning using a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) game, whether digital or otherwise. A family friend of mine used elements of Dungeons and Dragons to both motivate his Grade 1 students and to teach mathematics (they raced dragons, and it sounded AMAZING). I know that Minecraft is a popular COTS with educational applications, and that students learn a variety of skills from these and other expertly designed games. Game design and the way this overlaps with good educational design is where I start to get really excited. The best elements of games, such as deep engagement promoting flow, problem solving, learner/player agency and empowerment, achievement of meaningful goals, etc. are all synonymous with great educational design. Perhaps most powerfully of all, successful games have identified ways to motivate the user to play (and learn) for hours voluntarily, which I think is the elusive dream of educational designers. James Paul Gee identifies 13 elements of games that promote good learning, and I have selected three that I think are the most meaningful and applicable to me in my context. First, I was instantly drawn to his Co-Design Principle. One of my primary goals as an educator is to empower my students, and the Co-Design Principle describes the element of games that puts the learner (or player) into a role of agency. Their choices and decisions shape the path of the game (or learning) as much as the choices that were made by the designer originally. In this way, the path and outcome for each player is individualized based on choice. To me, this illustrates the ideal relationship between teacher and learners, where we create the learning experience together and honour the choices and individual needs of the student. I practice this in my classroom already, as each student creates a learning plan for each course, and has agency to choose both the pace, path, and place of learning. Second, I selected Gee's Skills as Strategies principle. I feel strongly that for learning to be meaningful, and for students to be able to transfer learning to other realms and situations, they need to have an understanding of how what they're learning is important, and how it can be used as a tool or strategy. I want to give my students the tools to make good choices and demonstrate their understanding, and one of the key ways to do this is to give them time to practice basic skills until they have mastered them, while also making it clear that the skills are needed to achieve a certain goal. In order for learning to be authentic, I think the problems presented to students need to be realistic and engaging, and need to give students the chance to demonstrate the skills they have been practicing. Problem-Based Learning and Inquiry projects seem like great ways to build the connection between skills and strategies for my students. Finally, as a Linguist, I was drawn to Gee's Meaning as Action principle. I find the act of helping students achieve concept attainment as fascinating as it is difficult, and often struggle to define and help students grasp some of the more nebulous concepts in the Socials and English courses I teach. I think that I intuitively knew that people understand best when we have an example (especially since I frequently struggle to find the right words for a definition), but I hadn't made the connection that people rarely think in words. Instead Gee explains that we build meaning through images, actions, goals, or experiences. This reinforces the importance of hands-on or experiential learning, which is difficult to achieve with online courses, but at least gives me the option to link to a video or an image to help clarify. Perhaps strong learners under our traditional system, which tends to provide more words to act as a definition, are those who are skilled at creating mental images. I could start to encourage students to define words using pictures on a mobile device or computer, or to build the skills of visualization. One example I can think of for this concept is the lesson I have taught many times over on Iambic Pentameter. I think I found it on the internet or in the UBC lesson library back in my early days as a teacher, but it incorporated movement very clearly into a rhythmic understanding of the scansion. Students were to pace around the room, pretending that one leg was made of wood, resulting in a weak/strong stamping pattern. Then they would chant the 10-syllable line (which is also iambic pentameter) "I am a pirate with a wooden leg," using the movement and the words to "hammer home" the meaning. It was fun too, which I think is important in any discussion of how good game design is similar to good learning design. In conclusion, I could spend the rest of my career exploring ways to integrate Gee's 13 principles of good learning design, and I would be a much more effective educator as a result. The power that can be harnessed by integrating games, gamification, and game-based learning into our practices should not be ignored, particularly as they simultaneously engage learners, provide opportunities for deep learning, give real problem-solving experiences with a "win state" to signal success, and teach 21st century digital skills and literacy.
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Leslie McCurrachEnthusiastic Learner. Avid Gardener. DL Teacher. Archives
March 2018
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