The author is honing in on what makes video games such powerful learning devices that can provide incredible learning experiences, and attempting to draw connections between the ways in which video games teach us, to how we teach children in school.
2. What constitutes a theory of learning?
The author makes it clear that learning is unique to an individual, but states that generalities and patterns exists that can help us understand what helps up to learn well.
3. Why did the author struggle to learn to play Warcraft III? What needs to proceed before good learning principles?
He said it was "too hard" but clarifies that more precisely, he "failed to engage with it in a way that fully recruited its solid design and learning principles."
4. How would have the authors struggle with learning to play Warcraft III been interpreted in school?
It would have been viewed as a failure, even though it was "a precursor for future learning" in that it inspired him to try new games which eventually led to a passion for video gaming.
5 What kind of learning experience might be better suited for at risk students?
Horizontal learning experiences are mentioned as a way to "dabble" or "get your feet wet" in a particular area without any particular fear of failure, before continuing on to learn more complex content. This doesn't promote failure like a "dumbed down" curriculum", instead it motivates the learner.
6. Why does the school-based interpretation of "at risk" lead to bad learning?
Too often at-risk learners receive a "watered down" curriculum that doesn't challenge them or motivate them - it just essentially "spoon-feeds" them answers to ensure what can be a false sense of success. When challenge and motivation are removed from learning experiences, they can hardly be meaningful and students will therefore retain much less information.
7. What do schools need to do to function more like a good game?
Essentially, schools need to motivate learners. Video games are great learning tools because people want to play them, and when they are motivated to play them, learning the concepts within the game becomes just a consequence of liking the game. Learning becomes a seamless process that is integrated into a meaningful experience. Most schools are not like this - they employ repetitive and fast-paced drill-based instruction that does not encourage the learner.
8. What is different about how good games and school assess learners?
Video games assess learners through the experience itself. The game itself is the assessment. In schools, all learning is in order to be assessed. In fact, sometimes it seems that learning only exists so that it can be assessed. Assessment is detached from the learning experience and in fact shapes most of the learning content.
9. What are the attributes of a fish-tank tutorial that make it an effective learning tool? How is it different than school-based learning?
"fish-tank tutorials" strip away complexity while keeping the primary learning structures in place. This provides a less stressful learning environment that is presented at a more user-friendly pace. The pace set by traditional school standards is staggering, and allows little room for "stripping away" anything.
10. What is a sand-box tutorial? Why is effective? How is it different that school-based learning?
Sand-box tutorials integrate the complexity of the full game while still withholding the possibilities of failure. It is essentially a scenario of the game where failure is made to be highly unlikely. This encourages the player and allows them to still learn the complexities without the fear of failing. This is like formative assessment, which is rare in schools. Most school assignments are for a grade, and can be failed.
11. What is a genre? Why is it important for good learning?
A genre is a "subdivision" or "category" of something. Genres are important because they help us realize that different situations merit different actions and behaviors. (Or in the case of video games, "skill sets".)
12. According to the author, what do learning and play having in common?
He says that humans associate learning with intrinsic pleasure, and that learning is ultimately a form of play. He says that learning, fun, and the desire to play a game are all intimately connected. This is also similar for school - motivation, fun, and learning are all connected and interdependent.
13. How are the skills test in good games different from skills tests in school?
Playing level is typically determined in games by the amount of success. (An increase in victory leads to increasing the difficulty of the game). Skills tests in video games are built in to the experience. In school, tests and assessments are distinct from the learning process. Skills tests in school allow for failure, and do not empower the student with previous successes. In video games, skills tests are developmental, in school, skills tests are evaluative.
14. How does RoN support collaborative learning?
It allows multiple users to work together within a common interest or for a common goal, in a simulation bereft of socioeconomic status and previous learning difficulties.
15. Match at least one learning principle of good games (on page 74) with each the following learning theorists you have studied in 3352:
Dewey - "They ensure that learners have and use an "affinity space"..." A large portion of the learning process is social and collaborative.
Vygotsky - "They teach skills in the context of simplified versions of the real game..." This can be linked to the "Zone of Proximal Development"; video gamers are being introduced to new content with some assistance.
Piaget - "They create and honor horizontal learning experiences not just vertical ones." Piaget believed that children operated within stages. Teaching to them within that stage is particularly effective.
Gardner - "They build in choice form the beginning." Gamers can interact with a game in many different ways through many different strategies, which means that the game allows them to use "multiple intelligences" throughout the experience.
Bandura - "Experienced doesn't mean expert" Learning throughout the game takes place in a consistent and implicit way. There are multiple ways to learn (successes and failures).
Skinner - "They create motivation for extended engagement". Video games create and environment that motivates players and keeps them playing!
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