Video Games & Learning: Games May Not be the Enemy

Wednesday, September 9th 2009 by Kimberly JeancloseAuthor: Kimberly Jean Name: Kimberly DeLisio
Email: kimberlyjean83@gmail.com
Site: http://www.organicedu.org
About: See Authors Posts (2)

The familiar warning the boomers grew up with is still being ignored by generation Y and Zers: “X will rot your brain!” It’s a knee-jerk statement chided by parents and inflicted unto kids. “Television” evolved into “Video Games” like Squirtle evolves to Wartortle.

This is where I, and many others, disagree with these concerned parents. The difference: video games are interactive, encouraging problem solving and critical thinking. TV – no matter how “interactive” it’s advertised as (Baby Einstein, Blues Clues) – is passive media.

James Paul Gee states that the passive learning occurring in our schools is only going to suit those learners for low-level service jobs. Instead he suggests an interactive mode – not excluding use of video games in the classroom. In his book What Video Games Teach Us About Learning and Literacy,  he implies that for learning to be effective, the learner has to see himself as the scientist in the classroom, much like the immersive experience of a video game. This learner is now taking on the identity of “scientist.” His actions become internalized, contextualized, and meaningful.

To Gee, video games represent a process that leads to better and better designs for good learning. That is – good learning of hard and challenging things. Games entice their participants to try even if they are afraid, to put in loads of effort even if there is little internal motivation to do so, and that they must achieve meaningful goals if they are to be successful. Notably, these notions are usually left outside the realm of education debates. (Gee speaking about gaming to Edutopia here).

“Videogames provide elements of interactivity that stimulate learning,” supports Huma Yusuf of the Christian Science Monitor. Yusuf goes on to add that these games are not simply asking users to master manual dexterity, but mental dexterity as well.

The key to this impressive voluntary learning is in the way video games adjust difficulty on an individual basis. They allow the learner to operate on the edge of their competency. It’s not enjoyable to try to perform completely outside or well within one’s competency level. Think of what would happen if a game is determined “impossible”, who would remain interested? who would keep playing? Even Sir Ken Robinson notes, “As with what I was saying before about video games: I think there’s a massive potential that we haven’t yet fully tapped into.”

In an article by E. Horn that ran in the Journal for the Association for People With Severe Handicaps, he found that video games allowed children with severely limited vocal speech abilities (among other handicaps) to make scan and selection responses that could later aid in the use of communication devices. German researcher Masendorf was able to use video games in learning of spacial abilities in developmentally-challenged children. Others have been able to increase mathematical ability and motivation in kids with learning disabilities.

The peer evaluation and interaction inherent in video games is definitely another factor lacking in typical classrooms. With games and gaming communities, users are made aware (painfully at times) of their pro- and de-ficiencies. Video game communities are much better, and honest, evaluators of progress and deficiency than almost any teacher I’ve ever met – if you’ve ever participated in a gaming community, you’ll know what I mean. Critiques can be of user-written fan fiction, game-play strategy, player style, game design, computer systems, or player made flash games, and about a zillion other things. In fact, researchers have found that some ESL learners have flocked to these sites to improve their writing skills, fearing the mockery of their school peers.

Children relish their multimedia experiences and this may be the best way for them to keep abreast of the technological advancements of their time. Stifling implementation of new media, games  included, will no doubt keep kids uninterested in their education – oh, wait! That already happens!

This article is a revised version of the original posted at OrganicEdu.org. Happy Gaming!

(pic from danparent.com)

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