One of the most appealing things to gamers as discussed by McGonigal, is the immediate feedback and leveling up. In thinking about the barriers, the only worry I have is the ability for teachers to give feedback on higher-order, critical thinking. The feedback I receive on papers definitely improve my writing and presentation, but professors obviously take time providing feed back for me and my fellow students. If we become too dependent on "gaming" feedback, we will continue to emphasize lower skills. It's standardized testing using a hip, flashy mask.
The readings this week focused on reading groups and socratic seminars. This is one of my favorite opportunities in education, and something libraries can definitely work with.
Thinking about libraries separately from classrooms, reading groups are a great application of outreach. Dempsey and Hoffert both show how book clubs can engage patrons to see the library as a central place for community. When I first moved to Chicago, I didn't know anyone and I really wanted to join a library sponsored book club. I found book club listings online but going to a random book club seemed a little sketchy-- having the location and presence of the library mediates those discomforts. Dempsey raises some interesting ideas with online book clubs. It's nice to have both pieces and flexibility. I have participated in one online book club, and it was fun but with a small group it was sometimes frustrating to get conversation started. With one or two librarians there to stir the pot, engagement and involvement will be a lot more dynamic.
In looking at socratic seminars in the classroom, I think I saw the most engagement, and growth by using this frequently in my practice. After we finished a novel we would dedicate a full day to class discussion. Students who struggled expressing themselves on tests and through writing regularly shone in class discussions. It was also a great tool for social studies. I saw a lot of higher order thinking skills. My grade level partner, who taught math and science, also said he saw significant changes in our classes after we had discussions-- even though he didn't plan discussions, students would initiate them by asking excellent questions and critically analyzing science and math concepts. It just shows you that talking about a book will go a long way!
The thing about feedback in games is that it doesn't always have to be expressed with the simple level-up reward system. Games can provide other small cues that the player is on the right or wrong track and can help lead players along the path they should be following. For example, there's often a helper character in RPGs that can give clues or talk to your character, which is an opportunity for feedback. Many RPGs also involve a lot of puzzle and strategy thinking, and the game manages to provide feedback to help the player work out the puzzle and understand what they might be doing wrong.
ReplyDeleteObviously this is not the same thing as a human being taking time to mark up your essay, but I do think there's more to the feedback and interaction than with standardized testing.
Great point about the library mediating the discomforts of feeling new. I'd like to join a book club with my library, but they meet at times inconvenient for me (like during the day), which does send a signal that I'm not the "type" of person they are wanting to attract. Hmmmmmmm.... which leaves me with nothing to do but play that awesome banking game ...
ReplyDeleteMcGonigal does a great job explaining what it is about games that can create better situations for learning. Barry Fishman puts it perfectly when he says that it's not about bring more games in to learning, but making the system of education more gameful. check out bit.ly/fishman-mame for his powerpoint from the mame conference-- it was awesome!
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