Quote:
"The findings reported here suggest that a level of direct teacher involvement can result in focused opportunities for students to engage curricular content."
Selection of Quote:
I select this quote to emphasize that when trying a game like Civilization III to increase curricular knowledge, DIRECT TEACHER INVOLVEMENT is key. I can see the benefits that this game brought, but to focused opportunities. Without the teacher's guidance as to "Why build the city here?" or "Why is the city in disorder?" the students may not have been able to make the cultural gains that they did. I think that this article shows a great example of how to incoporate games effectively.
Additional Resource:
I need to "see" something in order to get an idea of what this Civilization game is. This is about a newer version of the Civilization game (Civilization V), but it gives me a better idea of what kind of game the students were playing:
I agree with what you said about direct teacher involvement being vitally important. It would be the teacher's responsibility to find the teachable moments during the game and go with them. Even if the students were on a different topic, if they make a move in the game that could relate to some other aspect of history, the teacher can steer the discusssion there and relate the game play to real life.
ReplyDeleteI really like the video you posted. I am also someone who needs to "see" something to fully understand it, and this really helped give me an idea of what the game is about.
Good Point - gains in student learning would not happen unless the teacher was there to make the connections between the game and the subject matter. One thing I liked about this study was that in addition to planned lessons around the game, the teacher was flexible about exploring relevant topics that came up during gameplay.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a "must see it" learner. I had no idea Civilization had so many different "histories" that could be built upon. I kinda want to play the Vikings one!
You make a very good point, direct teacher involvement is very important. It is important to have teacher guidance. This ensures the students are reaching the required goals. I enjoyed your linked article because I am sort of a visual learner too. I had a vision of the game in my head but it didn’t measure-up to the game very well. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI agree that direct teacher involvement is key. Without teacher guidance, I can see how this project could go awry. I looked up Civilization III on youtube, also. Seeing is understanding for me.
ReplyDeleteYour comment on direct teacher involvement makes me think that the teacher could end up having more fun than the students. I would prefer to direct groups of gaming students for a break rather than lecture for the whole time of a course.
ReplyDeleteGood discussion of the importance of teachers helping students make connections between the game and curriculum content. This is difficult for teachers because they have to have both strong content knowledge and game knowledge to make the connections themselves!
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