The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.”
Dr. Martin Luther King
Pondering the mandate of education is a popular sport, with pundits forwarding diverse views, but most agree on the basics: the role of education is to prepare the student for participation in society by presenting essential information, and guiding expertise in foundational skills.
The thing is, society is constantly evolving. Looking through the lens of technological progress, we’ve witnessed some massive changes from the norms of the last century. In a few decades, we’ve gone from assembly line factory jobs and vacuum tube powered, room-sized computers, to the lightning fast interactivity of the digital world that is transforming every sector, including schools. Dealing with the differences created by the march of progress is nothing new. 3000 years ago, Heraclitus quipped that ‘The only thing that is constant is change’, which serves to illustrate the timeless nature of societal evolution, and the need to constantly re-evaluate and update the engines of society, including education.
In response to this changing world, pedagogy as a whole is undergoing a fundamental evolution. While basic comprehension and skills in language literacy, mathematics, science, and art are still essential; the current digital era demands a new set of transferable skills to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world. Globally, many educators are developing new standards under the umbrella title of 21st Century Competencies. Core to these competencies are the mental habits of logic, tenacity, and creativity honed by challenging gameplay. The opening statement of 21st Century Competencies: Foundation Document for Discussion reads in part “Researchers acknowledge that the need to engage in problem solving and critical and creative thinking has ‘always been at the core of learning and innovation’1.
What’s new in the 21st century is the call for education systems to emphasise and develop these competencies in explicit and intentional ways through deliberate changes in curriculum design and pedagogical practice. The goal of these changes is to prepare students to solve messy, complex problems – including problems we don’t yet know about – associated with living in a competitive, globally connected, and technologically intensive world.”
Kids are Makers and Digital Natives
In addition to the need to develop these modern skillsets, educators are faced with the second generation of students who have grown up with the modalities of the digital era. They are used to being able to drive every choice, communicate instantly, and access any information with the tap of a finger. Modern education needs to meet the expectations of these students in order to engage and challenge their curiosity and intellects.
Games are Tools for 21st Century Competencies
Games, Gamification of Learning, and Game Based Learning are not intended as replacements to any current effective pedagogy. Rather, these approaches can be valuable additions to the teaching toolbox that educators can leverage to engage the modern learner. The 3rd principle of Adler’s ‘Paideia Proposal’ is ‘The primary cause of learning is the activity of the child’s mind, which is not created by, but only assisted by the teacher’. Game Based Learning puts the student in the driver’s seat, with the teacher’s role shifting from ‘sage on the stage to guide on the side’. What follows is a review of a number of core properties of games and Game Based Learning that support this premise, and that also contribute to the development of 21st Century Competencies.
Thank you for sharing this interesting article about gamification. The discussion in class was very rich!
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