Education through games
As I have considered the concepts involved with using games for education, I see a lot of value, but I see some weaknesses as well.
My master's degree is in Youth and Family Recreation, and in that field we see a lot of positive outcomes in games and activities. They are a way to instigate changes in behavior and reinforce internal values such as motivation, positive thinking, self-efficacy, etc. But many times the behavior changes don't persist long beyond the arena of the game -- when a participant leaves the setting, they return to their home or school life where the dynamics seem to suck them back in to prior behavior and thinking patterns. Lasting change can often only happen with a change to the interpersonal dynamics of their "home base," so to speak. Building self efficacy can sometimes override negative home dynamics, but it is an uphill battle.
The main weakness I see is that games are time consuming compared to the learning outcome of the game. For instance, the idea that World of Warcraft can inform instructional practice is valuable in that it shows that given the right motivation, a person can persist for HOURS at a certain task in order to progress and get better and achieve certain objectives. But that is the key: they are spending more time at their task than at any other one thing they might do in their lives (24+ hours a week??!!), but what is the outcome? The ability to negotiate? Maybe those specific skills are valuable in the upper echelons of business (as was hinted by John Seely Brown in his visit to BYU the other day), but that high-level negotiation, I imagine, will not necessarily sync with your average student's career path or aspirations.
If you spent the same amount of time on, say, mathematics each week, you'd become pretty darn good at it. Or English, or painting, or whatever. Games can be motivating, but it doesn't get around the fact that learning of things like language, math, history is NOT EASY. It will never be easy. You can motivate young students to be interested in it, but that interest has to sustain them because after a certain point, the collection and synthesis of new ideas or information does not come easily. It is work.
I also imagine that most jobs won't be able to be controlled from behind a console with widgets. I just don't see a lot of crossover to the interpersonal skills and other aspects of what make humans worth their existence from the artificial, human-created worlds of gaming. Business and work and careers are not a game. People's livelihoods are at stake. As an underling, I would be very suspicious of a boss or a company that approached their business like a game, with expendable characters and only monetary or otherwise tactile goals.
Balance is key. I see value in realistic play -- as in micro-worlds of increasing complexity or apprenticeships. And certainly, play is valuable -- even an essential part of learning to deal with the world and with other people and with ourselves. In my opinion, play contributes to the development of the individual mind and is practice in processing unfamiliar ideas and creating new connections with existing experiences. Quality play is wholesome and expanding.
My master's degree is in Youth and Family Recreation, and in that field we see a lot of positive outcomes in games and activities. They are a way to instigate changes in behavior and reinforce internal values such as motivation, positive thinking, self-efficacy, etc. But many times the behavior changes don't persist long beyond the arena of the game -- when a participant leaves the setting, they return to their home or school life where the dynamics seem to suck them back in to prior behavior and thinking patterns. Lasting change can often only happen with a change to the interpersonal dynamics of their "home base," so to speak. Building self efficacy can sometimes override negative home dynamics, but it is an uphill battle.
The main weakness I see is that games are time consuming compared to the learning outcome of the game. For instance, the idea that World of Warcraft can inform instructional practice is valuable in that it shows that given the right motivation, a person can persist for HOURS at a certain task in order to progress and get better and achieve certain objectives. But that is the key: they are spending more time at their task than at any other one thing they might do in their lives (24+ hours a week??!!), but what is the outcome? The ability to negotiate? Maybe those specific skills are valuable in the upper echelons of business (as was hinted by John Seely Brown in his visit to BYU the other day), but that high-level negotiation, I imagine, will not necessarily sync with your average student's career path or aspirations.
If you spent the same amount of time on, say, mathematics each week, you'd become pretty darn good at it. Or English, or painting, or whatever. Games can be motivating, but it doesn't get around the fact that learning of things like language, math, history is NOT EASY. It will never be easy. You can motivate young students to be interested in it, but that interest has to sustain them because after a certain point, the collection and synthesis of new ideas or information does not come easily. It is work.
I also imagine that most jobs won't be able to be controlled from behind a console with widgets. I just don't see a lot of crossover to the interpersonal skills and other aspects of what make humans worth their existence from the artificial, human-created worlds of gaming. Business and work and careers are not a game. People's livelihoods are at stake. As an underling, I would be very suspicious of a boss or a company that approached their business like a game, with expendable characters and only monetary or otherwise tactile goals.
Balance is key. I see value in realistic play -- as in micro-worlds of increasing complexity or apprenticeships. And certainly, play is valuable -- even an essential part of learning to deal with the world and with other people and with ourselves. In my opinion, play contributes to the development of the individual mind and is practice in processing unfamiliar ideas and creating new connections with existing experiences. Quality play is wholesome and expanding.
Comments