New Teaching Philosophy: Use Video Games

Educators have occasionally used video games to supplement traditional classroom tools, but the practice is on the rise. Games are seen as an easy access point, where school work can meet kids in a space that they already enjoy playing in. Video games are chosen that have challenges and processes reflecting the subject matter at hand, giving students a more complete immersion in the material.

The Christian Science Monitor reports:

“If you, as a teacher, are satisfied with engaging only 15 percent of your students, then you’re failing the majority,” says Mr. Dubbels. “The big idea is to identify what students are already invested in, and that’s video games.”

Less than 1 percent of schools teach through video games, according to Marc Prensky, author of “Don’t Bother Me, Mom – I’m Learning.” But those that do laud games as a way to help develop 21st century skills, such as collaborative problem solving, multitasking, and networking. Some educators compare game play to the scientific method: Players enter a phenomenon that doesn’t make sense, observe problems, form hypotheses, and test them while being mindful of cause and effect.

CSM: “Video games start to shape classroom curriculum”