Expected, Inspected, & Respected.
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
This question is asked by a computer named WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) in the 1983 film WarGames, starring Matthew Broderick. In the movie, the computer learns that tic-tac-toe and global thermonuclear warfare are pointless games because the only winning move is not to play. What does that have to do with education?Last night, I read an email newsletter from Vicki Davis (aka The Cool Cat Teacher) about games in the classroom. Specifically, she recommended a classroom gamification tool that I've been curious about called Classcraft. The game gives kids experience points for making good social and academic choices so that they can level up their avatars with cool armours, costumes, and spells that give them real-world advantages like the privilege to eat during class, getting a hint on an exam, or handing in an assignment a day late. If I were a student (which I am), I would love to have my classes gamified like this. I love all kinds of games: board, trivia, drama, strategy, role-playing, video, even silly made-up games like the one below that my daughter and I made up. But is it good for learning?As a teacher, I'm fully behind games that teach specific skills. Games take advantage of a child's innately playful nature and have a crucial role in building mastery out of the enjoyment gained from the game being played. However, I'm torn about games that seek to control behaviour with extrinsic rewards and punishments. I've written before about motivation and how extrinsic motivators can deprive children of pleasure in a task, cause them to lose interest in an activity, and reduce achievement. Rewards can turn play into drudgery and I would hate for that to happen in my classroom. ![]() On the other hand, my brother uses a habit building productivity app called Habitica that gamifies his life and has been very effective in motivating him to achieve his goals. If pixellated pets and helmet upgrades can help him to eat better, workout, meet deadlines, and do his chores, why couldn't my students build good habits in school using Classcraft? I can't help worrying that the game would unfairly favour extroverts, depending on the behaviours you choose to reinforce. With noise levels, crowds, group work, and public speaking, schools are already built for extroverts and I'd hate to stack the deck further against introverts. Perhaps by involving students in the game design and which behaviours warrant experience points, they could get more invested and personality based unfairness could be mitigated. Another concern is that adding this layer of gamification would waste valuable teaching and learning time. Vicki Davis points out on her blog, "just because an activity has points and is called a game doesn’t make it an effective game-based learning tool any more than putting me in a Doritos bag makes me a chip." I'm trying to figure out if the only winning move is not to play.I'd love to know what you think, so please leave a comment below with any advice, experiences, or questions you might have on the subject.
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![]() When my friend, Sean Giesbrecht (@SPGiesbrecht), found out I was in education, the first thing he told me to do was to read George Couros' blog. The second thing he told me to do was to DRINK. THE. KOOL-AID. So I've been making my way through the archives and it is some really great stuff. Based on Mr. Couros' recommendation, I read Daniel Pink's Drive, which I also highly recommend. It's mostly advice on what science has to say about how to motivate people in business but it does have sections devoted to parenting and teaching and it's all fascinating. In the appendix, or the Type I Toolkit as it's called, there are several suggestions about how to harness the power of intrinsic motivation in the classroom. My favourite one that I'd like to try with my daughter and eventually my classroom, is the DIY report card. In an ideal world, report cards should be a way for students to receive meaningful feedback in the service of real learning. Unfortunately, all too often, getting good grades becomes the goal rather than learning and the easiest way to do that is to simply play it safe and comply, always telling the teacher what you think they want to hear. Dan Pink suggests, "At the beginning of the semester, ask students to list their top learning goals. Then, at the end of the semester, ask them to create their own report card along with a on- or ttwo-paragraph review of their progress. Were did they succeed? Where did they fall short? What more do they need to learn? Once students have completed their DIY report cards, show them the teacher's report card, and let the comparison of the two be the startof a conversation on how they are doing on their path toward mastery." (Pink 177) This recommendation fits very well with #3 and #7 on George Couros' 8 Things to Look for in Today's Classroom. I can see why he recommends Drive. Next, I'd like to read The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros and Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess.
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David Wiebe
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