This is where Scottish teachers go to let off some steam. Join the debate in the Scotland Opinion Group and chat about the key issues affecting education in Scotland.
readyfortheweekendThe description of one of the games in the article talks about kids having to fight off monsters and 'find' food to survive. What exactly is this teaching and preparing them for?
In one school I taught, a room previously used to teach music had all the instruments shoved right into the corner to make way for the xbox and flat screen tv so the kids could play guitar hero. Perhaps I'm being old fashioned, but surely 'real-world' skills are what we're supposed to be teaching?
Yes, I've seen the 'fun' projects that are trailed on the NAR when the children have been so enthused about their learning that they've managed to knock up 200 words about their 'band' (literacy), they've worked together (HWB) and remembered the number of songs they've played (numeracy). Goodness, they even decided on a name for their band and created an album cover so art has been covered too. Is our education system really so shot that this passes for 'deep learning'?
Yes, the kids seem to enjoy the consoles, but its nothing new. They all have them at home. I want to know if its teaching them anything and indeed anything that decent teachers aren't perfectly capable of teaching them?
We have a crisis of obesity in Scotland. I'm not certain whether encouraging our weans to spend more time in front of the box is the right message either.
CheesyWotsits When you were at school, were you ever asked to write about your hobby? I don't see what the difference here is, to be honest.
CheesyWotsitsanything which encourages children to write must surely be a bonus?
airyThe difference is that we had to write about hobbies we participated in outside of school. We didn't have t spend weeks developing the hobby in school time so that we could write our 200 words about it.
CheesyWotsitsDoes it encourage children to write or do they simply learn that whenever they do something fun they have to do some "boring" writing at the end of it?
airyI think they are probably doing less writing, too, because of all the time given over to being Guitar Heroes!
CheesyWotsitsairyThe difference is that we had to write about hobbies we participated in outside of school. We didn't have t spend weeks developing the hobby in school time so that we could write our 200 words about it. The time spent in class gaming is not as much as you imagine. Certainly, the last time I researched it, the gaming part was not the bulk of the activity. Yes, the kids would play more of the game at home, but in school, the focus was on the good part. CheesyWotsitsDoes it encourage children to write or do they simply learn that whenever they do something fun they have to do some "boring" writing at the end of it? From my experience, which includes sitting in on an imaginative writing activity centred around a point-and click adventure game, the writing part was not perceived by the pupils as boring. Kids like writing about things which interest them.
Personally I just think GBL will just be treated by the majority of pupils as a skive. And what does it do to the more able pupils? They will not be kidded on and will see this as dumbing down of learning. I can see how some GBL can indeed make an improvement in education through role play and simulation, but not the nonsense by getting kids to play guitar hero or any other PS3/XBox type game. That is plain daft. The game is up for CfE if that is the way we are going.
Some of you need to look at real GBL a school in West Dunbart CHS have done fantastic things based around Mario Cart. The kids play the game for very small chunks every 6 weeks or so but they all buy into the stuff. This is real GBL where it is used as a tool to enhance learning not learning by playing the game.
Take a look before you right it off.
gnulinuxWhile I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with Games Based Learning, I feel it has to be seen in context as 'shallow end' learning.
I don't have any evidence to suggest that GBL is being used (in Primary??) as a replacement for proper Computing Science, but perhaps that is the case.
I would like to know.
gnulinuxHow many Primary teachers have tried out Computer Programming with their classes (where appropriate of course)?
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