My last post was about the educational video game Lure of the Labyrinth, I was pretty critical of the labyrinth aspect of the game but after discussing video games and thinking about how can school be more like a video game I am rethinking some of my criticisms.
I was frustrated by the ambiguity and lack of directions in the Labyrinth but then Jeff asked us how do these video games replicate or even exemplify some aspects that are missing in schools today. Most of the information or lessons that I remember the most from my undergraduate and secondary careers were things that I had to struggle with. I remember the struggle and the difficulty and sense of accomplishment that I felt when I finally figured out the solution.
As a math major my last two years of college were predominately spent writing proofs and struggling to show how certain math statements are true. I had a certain language and process to follow (a map) but otherwise I was given very little instruction on how to solve my homework problems. This reminds me of the Labyrinth game you have a very unclear map and you are supposed to figure out which door to walk through next.
The one thing that the Labyrinth video game lacked that I benefited from in my last two years of college was years of practice and knowledge that I had gained in math. In Labyrinth there was not scaffolding or intermediate steps to figure out how to use the map. This is an important aspect of learning that we need to remember when we ask students to do a new task. Are they ready to do this? Have I provided them with an enough information to solve the problem? Do they understand the process that I am asking them to carry out?
We need to make sure that we challenge our students at the appropriate level. Let them explore and fail but not to the point where they want to give up. This is the challenge that a good video game accomplishes and that more classrooms need to strive for.
I agree with your point about failure having a place in the classroom. Of course students will fail when trying to do a certain type of math problem for the first time, or trying to learn how to do a close reading of an unfamiliar text. It's reflection on that failing that's useful. Where did I start to go wrong here? What did I do right? What can I do different next time? I played the Spanish game. It was fun for a few minutes, but the graphics were boring, and the game was just ok. Maybe it'd be more fun if I was just learning the language; the lack of challenge probably affected my reaction to it, but it might be good for young kids. At least it'd be something they could practice on. It lacked the key element of creating greater and greater risks to overcome - there were levels, but only 3. My take away? Challenge is necessary to keep kids engaged, both in video games and in the classroom.
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