Archive for the 'Learning' Category

What gets me about this ad (props to Failblog) is it plays into the notion that learning is not fun, that learning is something you have to trick your kids into doing.  In truth, most people really enjoy learning new things.  The sad part is that games really are a great way to foster learning.  Games get many things right that our educational system gets wrong.  Here are just a few things to think about:

1. Games encourage you to practice things you’re not good at until you get better
2. When you fail in a game, it doesn’t go on your report card
3. Games naturally motivate peers who have already mastered some element of the game to help those who haven’t
4. People play games because they choose to–you seldom have to bribe, trick, or coerce someone into playing a game

Teachers and school systems could follow on from these observations by implementing a few things:

1. Allow students to practice until they “get it.”  This is known as mastery learning.  Everyone learns at a different pace and everyone is not ready for the same content at the same time.
2. Get rid of report cards.  If you allow people to practice until they master the concepts, then report cards no longer are necessary.
3. Create an environment that actively encourages peers to teach and learn from each other
4. Give learners choice about what and how they learn

There are practical ways to implement these things.  We just need to have the courage and the energy and the patience to do it.