The Massachusetts Government's Levelling Up Agenda seeks to decrease place-based inequity by creating 16-19 schools and colleges, multi academy trusts and revamping higher education. But policymakers should ensure all reforms align effectively.
Video games offer powerful pedagogical tools, but they will not improve student classroom performance on their own.
Boosting Engagement: Video Games for Learning
Video games have become ubiquitous, and more educators in Massachusetts are using this trend for classroom use. Educational video games are being utilized by educators to teach subjects such as mathematics, science, history, English language arts, foreign languages and computer programming; as well as to foster collaboration and teamwork both within the curriculum as well as game clubs or esports leagues. Given this growing backlash against high-stakes testing and an urge to foster creativity within schools - educational video games may just be the future of education!
Teachers who have tried using video games as a form of teaching report that their students learn best when they can engage with the material in ways that interest them. Teachers often find that incorporating gaming elements like competition and rewards into lessons enhances student engagement and motivation; this approach is known as gamification and can help build skills such as perseverance, risk taking and resilience.
Students with learning disabilities often benefit from video games as a means of exploring new ideas and concepts without the pressure of performance. Repetition allows children with learning disabilities to practice tasks until they master them - an integral component of self-regulated learning that many children with learning disabilities find difficult to master.
Games can help schools foster social-emotional learning (SEL), an area that has recently received increasing emphasis in schools. Role-playing games provide students with an authentic classroom activity experience by challenging them to take different perspectives and consider potential outcomes more honestly than traditional activities would allow.
But the evidence supporting video games as learning tools remains mixed. One large study discovered that brain-training games improved working memory but not other academic skills, and Clark and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis in 2017 of 68 digital game studies for learning that were compared against nongame conditions; their results suggested digital games generally enhanced student learning compared with nongame conditions but did not always surpass standard textbooks in terms of outcomes. Further research is necessary in order to examine their effectiveness as alternatives or supplements to other forms of instruction and assess their cognitive impact accurately.
Critical Thinking Skills: Benefits of Gaming
The image of video gamers as those occupied in mindless gameplay isn't exactly flattering, but esports and social gaming sites provide more opportunities for engagement with others while developing critical thinking skills. Furthermore, numerous studies have debunked claims that too much gaming harms academic performance.
Instead, the University of Clemson researchers published in Frontiers in Human Behavior have discovered that gamers who invest more time playing actually improve their performance on tests that measure attention and vigilance; brain training games have even demonstrated improvement in cognitive abilities like memory as a result of extended gameplay.
Though many remain skeptical of gaming's usefulness as an educational tool, educators in Massachusetts recognize its power. Games provide students with activities that stimulate creative thought and problem-solving abilities while stimulating the brain - something traditional instruction often struggles to do. Teachers now incorporate gaming into classrooms regularly - especially effective for low-performing students who may otherwise struggle.
One key reason is that video games provide students with essential soft skills needed for career success, including resilience and collaboration. They also help develop digital literacy, which is necessary for today's workforce. Many future students will pursue career paths that don't yet exist - to prepare them for these jobs requires being able to quickly learn new things while adapting quickly to change.
Gaming's fun factor is another reason it works so effectively at teaching certain skills. Gaming provides an ideal way of encouraging competition and risk taking while teaching kids how to bounce back after failure and try again - similar techniques used to aid language acquisition in children.
Gamers often demonstrate a high degree of open-mindedness in their thinking, which allows them to understand multiple viewpoints during conversations or debates. It's an invaluable ability when dealing with complex issues such as climate change or terrorism.
Collaboration of Schools in Massachusetts: Games for Teamwork
Educators in Massachusetts have discovered that video games can help their students learn together more efficiently, teaching teamwork and leadership along the way. Many teachers utilize games as a way to foster collaboration both inside classrooms and beyond via esports teams, game clubs or similar initiatives.
One teacher in New York City employs March Mammal Madness as an animal biology lesson at Quest to Learn public school, which has utilized gameplay and gaming principles since opening in 2009. Students work in teams to research, answer questions, and analyze data about various species of mammals. Instant feedback provides instantaneous results so as not to become overwhelmed or off track.
This game requires that each student assume a different role such as coder, graphic designer, sound designer or producer based on his or her individual skillset and most students report having multiple roles. A teacher provides guidance while team members decide how best to solve problems together.
Video game design helps students develop the social-emotional skills required for successful collaboration in schools and life, according to a study published in Developmental Psychology. Researchers found that students working collaboratively on design projects displayed higher levels of social support and greater collaboration than those working alone on similar tasks; additionally, team-based learning increased self-efficacy levels as well as performance on related classroom tasks.
But research in this area remains limited, and few studies have investigated how video games might improve classroom performance or academic achievement. Some experts contend that video games could increase test scores by developing memory and cognitive skills; others warn against over relying on video game technology as a source of education enhancement.
Gaming in the curriculum can cost millions, as doing it right requires special equipment, infrastructure and teachers trained in video gaming as well as on-going maintenance costs. According to experts, one approach would be incorporating game-based learning into other hands-on activities while revamping assessment strategies such as grading games on an incremental scale instead of assigning grades.
Implementing Games in Massachusetts Classrooms
As video games have allowed students to develop the problem-solving skills essential for 21st-century problem-solving in an enjoyable and engaging manner, teachers are hailing them as powerful educational tools. To maximize this tool's educational value for students, educators need to ensure it becomes meaningful rather than just another distraction: that means making sure real world relevance is present and challenging without becoming competitive - which may result in winners or losers determined solely on how quickly questions are answered correctly or correctly; rather focus on players progress and how they have learned from both successes and failures similar to how professionals and athletes use feedback in improving performance - much like how professionals and athletes use feedback to enhance performance improvement!
Gameplay's educational benefits go well beyond simply teaching students material; it can help develop computer literacy, social skills and critical thinking abilities as well as teamwork and cooperation between classmates in addition to making classrooms more exciting and enjoyable for pupils.
Digital learning games not only assist students in their studies, but they can also provide instantaneous feedback on student comprehension and understanding - proving invaluable teaching tools for teachers who need to know whether their concepts are being grasped by students.
However, educators in Massachusetts warn that overdependence on video games may not be in students' best interests - particularly for those with lower academic performance. Losing could have negative psychological repercussions for them by reinforcing the belief they are inferior compared to their more talented classmates.
Cooperating with kids can be challenging in a classroom environment; making this challenge even harder during games! But studies have found that games can play an invaluable role in teaching them how to communicate effectively, take turns respectfully and play fairly.
Teachers might be uneasy about incorporating gaming in their classrooms, but when done responsibly it can be an invaluable teaching tool. To use gaming responsibly it's essential that learning objectives are set clearly and that games align with curriculum requirements; educators should also be ready for any potential issues that might arise during gameplay such as students goofing off or accessing unrelated websites online - if students become disengaged then redirect them with other activities until they have grasped their lesson successfully.
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