Blog Entry by Daniel
Donahoo: Researcher and author on
childhood learning and development technology
childhood learning and development technology
23 August 2011
Firstly, for those who are unfamiliar with gamification, it
is the use of game design techniques and mechanics to solve problems and engage
audiences. In education, it relates to ways educators can use games (and not
just video games) to create engaging learning experiences for children. What
struck me about this topic was the similarities it has to James Paul Gee’s
literature on how teachers can learn from games. He advocates that teachers
should examine how ‘good games’ engage children in meaningful learning and apply
this to their own practice.
Donahoo (2011) comments on the criticisms gamification is
receiving in the business sector for ‘butchering the essence of play by
aligning it to sales targets.’ He goes on to explain that this should not apply
to education and that teachers are using gamification to engage students in
learning 21st century skills. His focus shifts throughout the blog
and he also makes comments about the importance of play to human development,
not just for children, and how games can assist in this development.
What I found most
interesting were his views on standardised testing and the barriers these kinds
of practices put in the way of schools really engaging in gamification. Such a
backlash against gamification ,whether it is related to the education sector or
not can have dire consequences. People who already believe that education
should stay the way it is, with skill and drill and standardised subject matter
have more ammunition for their cause. This, Donahoo (2011) says, is very
problematic.
Donahoo (2011) closes by saying that video games are as entrenched
in our popular culture as movies
or books and will inevitably attract criticism from both lovers and haters
depending on how and why they are being used. What is important, he says is
that “games and game-based learning should have a place in our schools and curriculum,
now and in the future.”
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Katie,
ReplyDeleteIn my own teaching practice I have frequently found that the more interactive one is, the more the students seem to engage in the learning. If one stands in front of a Year 9 class and delivers a lecture for more than 10 minutes, one needs to be prepared to suffer the consequences. The students’ eyes begin to glaze, the boys in the back start to plan insurrection and half the information the teacher has so succinctly delivered will have been lost. Part of this is due to the fact that our working memories can only retain a specific amount of information, before old information begins to be discarded. However, if you have ever discussed this issue with some of the more conservative teachers at the school you will also be told that students are now less likely to listen quietly to this sort of teaching. I know that educational researcher John Hattie (author of Visible Learning), in his recent lecture tour of Australia, recommended that we need to learn to be more interactive in how we teach our students. Donahoo (2011) certainly seems to echo this sentiment. I think the negative reactions that people have to the concept of 'gamification' is partially due to the stigma associated with gaming. It is seen as a rather violent activity engaged with by youth subcultures (remarkably the average age of a gamer in Australia is 37, not 14). I suppose we might have to change their minds in creating innovative new gaming-based pedagogies.
Darcy