Reflection #1: New Insights

As part of my first assignment, my learning partner Ken Chidlow and I were assigned the task of choosing a topic relating to the future role of the educator, as well as emerging trends in education. We both had the same top choice: game-based learning.

Game-based learning, as defined by EdTechReview, is 'a type of game play that has defined learning outcomes. Generally, game based learning is designed to balance subject matter with gameplay and the ability of the player to retain and apply said subject matter to the real world.'

How does game-based learning relate to the role of the adult educator?

The Mindshift Guide to Digital Games and Learning highlighted the frequency with which games are used in the K-12 classroom setting, and the percentage of children who are identified as gamers (97% in the United States). Given this trend, the popularity of video games in my generation and the move to highlight the positive outcomes of gaming (led by trailblazers like Jane McGonigal), it stands to reason that the trend toward game-based learning will only continue as the next generation of gamers become adult learners.

During the course of my research, I discovered that the function of a game in relation to learning is not to replace the educator; rather, it is to supplement the learning objectives. In the 2014 study Impending Phenomena Emerging from Students’ Constructivist Online Game-Based Learning Process: Implications for the Importance of Teacher Facilitation, a group of students in an agriculture class in Hong Kong were observed as they played the game Farmtasia, which is in essence a farm simulator.

Within the context of Farmtasia, the role of the educator shifted from an 'instructional' lesson-based approach to that of a coach, mentor and facilitator. First, the educator used a 'scaffolding' method, providing enough introductory information for students to be able to use the tutorials and video game to learn on their own.

The purpose of Farmtasia was to allow students to learn agricultural principles from a self-directed, challenge-based approach, using a combination of the game tutorials and subsequent rounds of gameplay. The educator, in this study, was given the capacity to observe the students' gameplay on the back-end, as well as read their 'gaming journals'. Having the ability to identify instances of disengagement or frustration with the learning, the educator was subsequently able to coach as required, to assess the reason(s) the student was struggling.

One interesting outcome of the study was the level of engagement of a particular student identified as a 'gamer student', that is to say, a student with a lengthy history of video game experience. The student's engagement, ordinarily reported as low in the classroom, was very high when playing Farmtasia, until the student discovered a way to exploit the game and achieve maximum success with minimal effort. This provided the opportunity for the educator to coach the student, both on their engagement as well as function of the video game as a supplement to learning as opposed to simple entertainment.

The study also identified some challenges that the educator could face within the context of game-based learning:

1. The educator does not have a sufficient degree of technical knowledge to assist the students in understanding how to use the game.
2. The student is a non-gamer and has difficulty learning how to play the game.
3. The student is a non-gamer and feels that playing a video game is not the best way for them to learn.
4. The video game has a bug/flaw/exploit that a student can use to succeed, circumventing the challenge, and thus, the learning.

The study subsequently concluded that further research was required, both into the most effective methods of assessment as well as how to circumvent the problem of having a non-gamer educator present game-based learning to a group of students.

The conclusion thus far is that the role of the adult educator, when games are used in education, is as a mentor and facilitator, crafting the initial learning so that the student can engage smoothly with the game and learn through the challenges that the game presents. Thus the game itself provides the instruction; the educator intervenes when disengagement is identified, and assists in applying the concepts learned in the game to the real world.