- Fun-When teachers make learning fun, kids forget they are even learning! In the article, someone is quoted as saying "with games, learning is the drug". How powerful a statement!
- Failure is OK-Learning takes place best when there is an environment in which failure is ok and students are free to try new things without the fear of being judged or punished. Teachers need to cultivate this attitude in their classrooms to provide students with a situation where they are not afraid to take risks and be creative. If our creative geniuses in the past were afraid to take risks and try something new, we would never have the technology, medical care, electricity, or jobs that we have today!
- "Acquire, Test, Master"-Teachers should allow students to master one skill before moving on to another. The article points out that even Mario is asked to master one skill before he is given more responsibilities to do. Learning never truly happens if there is not a good foundation laid first.
- Autonomy-Learners always like to feel like they are in control. When someone feels like they are losing control, anxiety can creep in. If a student is anxious or is not in a good mental state, no learning could possibly happen.
- Choice and Planning-When a student has the opportunity to take a little ownership of their learning, great things happen! Even if it is as small as choosing the order in which they complete an assignment, choice appeals to students.
- Self-determination-Motivation is a huge factor of the successfulness of learning. Humans need to feel motivated and have some ownership of their learning to be content in their learning.
- Reward Systems-Along with expected progression through learning, surprise rewards along the way help keep up motivation and moral. Just when a learner gets board with learning or learning feels monotonous, a surprise reward will immediately boost motivation.
- "Disproportionate Feedback"-Similar to surprise rewards, "disproportionate feedback" gives learners rewards for achieving simple tasks. Again, these rewards appeals to a learner's feelings of satisfaction and enjoyment and keeps a learner engaged and coming back for more.
- Friendships-Collaboration is a big facet in education right now. Learning from others is so important. None of us think in exactly the same ways. Having access to other people's thinking allows us to see things in different perspectives!
According to Stuart, "So games aren't just about wasting time." I agree. The psychology and understanding of human behavior that these game designers put into these games are unreal and we can translate them into a classroom setting!
No comments:
Post a Comment