Last week we shared an article about how several prominent delegates at the recently held Learning Without Frontiers conference in London spoke about their belief in the value of computer games in the classroom. Education Scotland, the national body responsible for “supporting quality and improvement in learning and teaching from early years to adult and community learning” in Scotland, also shares in the belief that computer games can be beneficial in education. A detailed article on the Education Scotland website explains the rationale behind this belief.
Education Scotland sites several reasons for currently employing game based learning in the classroom and continuing to develop game based teaching and learning experiences within their Curriculum for Excellence (this is the general curriculum that Scotland has adopted for its 3 through 18 year old students). There is a growing body of research that suggests that using computer games in the classroom provides motivation and stimulation that is suited for many types of learners. The nature of many computer games also supports a student’s self-reliance and self-determination while helping build skills such as problem solving and critical thinking. Education Scotland lists several additional benefits to computer game based learning in the classroom:
- motivating learners to succeed and to continually improve
- fostering self-esteem, self-determination and enhancing self-image
- facilitating collaborative learning
- implicitly developing learners ability to observe, question, hypothesize and test
- facilitating metacognitive reflection
- developing complex problem-solving skills
- making school an exciting place to be
- offering inroads into other curricular areas
- sharing practice features that show how games have enhanced learning in the classroom
Social constructivism is also seen as a key element by Education Scotland when it comes to integrating computer games in the classroom. This essentially means that educators should be aware of and embrace the skills students bring to the classroom, and in this digital culture most students have experience with technology. As explained on Education Scotland’s website, “Game based learning resonates with today’s learners because games are a key aspect of their digital culture.”
Education Scotland also makes a very interesting distinction between today’s youth and adults when it comes to technology. The youth are considered to be ‘digital natives’ as they have grown up in a digital culture and are very accustomed to and comfortable with technology. Digital natives are characterized by being able to receive information at high speed, having the ability to parallel process and multi-task, having a preference for graphics before text, and thriving on instant gratification and frequent rewards. Adults, or ‘digital immigrants’, by contrast have merely adapted to technology and have attempted to integrate technology into to their lives. This distinction is noteworthy in regard to education because it is the digital immigrants who are currently educating the digital natives and the learning differences and background knowledge should be taken into consideration when planning lessons and curriculum.
If you would like to read Education Scotland’s full article on the topic of game based learning, you may visit the link on their website at http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/usingglowandict/gamesbasedlearning/about/aboutgamebasedlearning.asp Here, you will also find links to several other games based learning research articles such as those published by Futurelab and ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association).