Playing to Learn - We do it from very early days as a baby. Why stop??

"Playing to Learn? - Children love to learn, but at some point they lose that and become adults that don't like formal learning. Let's explore why "play" has gotten such a bad rap and figure out how to get it back in education" says Maria Anderson. Have fun watching her prezi below:

Playing to Learn? by Maria Andersen on Prezi 

Games are not like they used to be. They have a very high social component to them. There are claims that "gamers are able to detect, for example, new information coming at them faster" in the article:Video Games Boost Brain Power, Multitasking Skills by Michelle Trudeau. Brain researcher Jay Pratt, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, says that "playing these video games changes your ability to learn, and to find and integrate new information."

Daphne Bavelier is professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. She studies young people playing action video games. Having now conducted more than 20 studies on the topic, Bavelier says, "It turns out that action video games are far from mindless." Both Pratt and Bacelier agreed that moderation is the key.

Did you know that Games Based Learning was identified by the 2011 Horizon Report as two years to adoption. That is not very long. We need to get our heads around this.

According to James Gee in his article:Deep Learning Properties of Good Digital Games How Far Can They Go? "Digital games are, at their heart, problem solving spaces that use continual learning and provide pathways to mastery through entertainment and pleasure."  

Gee states in his video for Edutopia, “Kids want to produce, they don’t just want to consume.”

Would it surprise you that the future of schooling may lie with video games? Read: http://www.economist.com/node/14350149?story_id=14350149  and see what you think.

 Gaming to re-engage boys in learning, a great TEDxPSU talk may expand your thinking a little further. The boys motivation is clear and evident in these games. We need to embrace the games' ability to advance deep learning.

In the article: Game based learning in the classroom  Phillipa Cleaves noted that more than 50% of Yr6-12 students are more interested in practicing problems based around games; over 55% of Yr6-12 students are more engaged in a subject when GBL is used and  nearly 60% of all Yr6-12 students find GBL makes harder concepts easier to understand. These statistics show that we would be on a winner to ensure students used quality games for some of their learning.

Ben Jones, in Computers in schools: IT is becoming child's play, states: " It is no longer a question of when but the more important question of how will we use them for teaching and learning? " Jones presents six ways of using consoles in education and then examines the various consoles on offer.(See the link below for more information on gaming consoles.) Jones also indicated that we need to engage parents and community in the process, as many have ill-informed preconceived ideas about gaming and games. It is  vital that parents and teachers work in a close partnership as we create new learning environments to facilitate optimal learning conditions for our students in this fast changing digital age.  Gaming Consoles in Education 

‘We need to get away from “we’re doing computers”; it’s more “we’re doing learning” with technology integrated in all lessons without having to decamp to the IT block,’ says Andy Goff, director of iLX, a research centre where teachers learn how to get the most from video game consoles. "IT is changing in schools and our key focus is improving literacy and numeracy."

Some parents may say they don’t send their children to school to play computer games and Richard Healey, manager of the Birmingham East City Learning Centre, shares their concerns. He admits: ‘There is a PR job to be done there but we have evidence to show it encourages children to attend school and learn.’ School communities need to ensure that parents are educated along with their children.

For teachers considering introducing game based learning into their classrooms these tips at Educators Connect Digital Games to Learning  may come in handy.

As Phillipa Cleaves (on yammer) summed it up: "game based learning (GBL) is all about collaboration, achieving milestones and advancing. It is such a great way to learn." 

I would love to introduce some of our classes try one of the Mystery Matters games 
from Centre for Learning Innovation (CLI). Be aware access is only available through the DET portal.

Mystery Matters is a series of learning games for students in years 4 to 10. Take a look at the Games information list on the right to see what games are ready to play and what games are coming. Select a game in the list to see what the game is about and when it will be released.

Teachers – take a look at the product brochure (.pdf 169kB) for more information. Each game also has comprehensive teaching notes you can view when you play the game.

Related articles

• Playing to Learn? How to get fun back into education (ictelt.blogspot.com)
• Suggested Reading: A 7 series piece on "What teachers can learn from video games": http://www.cleanapple.com/blog/?page_id=351 from Ben Jones
• What exactly are kids learning?:which has many great references to follow for those who wish to explore this area
• Newsletter: Games-Based Learning #1 (ictineducation.org)
• Games in Education (ictineducation.org)
• Lisa Nielsen: 10 Reasons Students Say They Prefer Learning Online