Background to games-based learning
Digital culture
Over recent years there has been growing interest in the idea that computer games can be used to engage, challenge and motivate learners.
This interest has recently translated into practice within the classroom. The gathering momentum of this approach has become more focussed and relevant to teaching and learning due to the ideas and theories proposed by Prensky (2001), Gee (2003) and Johnson (2005). They have attempted to establish and articulate a theoretical framework that can identify how cognitive and affective development can be attained via the computer game and associated contexts.
Recent British research BECTA (2005), Futurelab (2005, 2006) and ELSPA (2006) has made great progress in demonstrating how these emerging theories are beginning to find themselves embedded in ‘chalk-face’ contexts in schools throughout the UK.
The message from each of these reports is that it is becoming more and more evident that the computer game has a locus within the schools of today and tomorrow. The research details aspects of gains and benefits in relation to cognitive and affective but what appears to be probably the most important and interesting aspect of this is in relation to learner attitudes to learning with games. It appears that games-based learning has cultural resonance with learners due to the fact that games play a significant part within the digital culture of today’s learner.
One of the main theories of learning is that teaching and learning is based on social constructivism.
This theory argues that educators must be aware of the skills, knowledge and experiences that learners have when they come to school. The educator must see the child in the context of what they can do and what they already know in order to create learning experiences that will take them further as opposed to viewing the child as an ‘empty vessel’ that needs to be passively filled with knowledge.
This whole framework requires the teacher to actively involve the children in the construction of their own meaning, understanding and developing skill set. Inherent and fundamental to social constructivism is the idea that we also must appreciate that the learner does not operate in a dry theoretical vacuum but within a complex and dynamic social framework. This social framework has very powerful formative influence in terms of learner attitudes to learning and engagement.
We have explored this further on our Digital natives page.