Ali Carr-Chellman: Gaming to re-engage boys in learning
This was a great talk with some specific points about learning styles, school culture and ways to adjust for both. Ms. Carr begins her presentation comparing boys and girls with the "100 girls experiment." After this shocking (yet not so shocking) visual comparison on drop-out, expulsion and suspension rates, she makes the true point of her presentation: Boys will be boys and we should let them express themselves as boys. She points out that the culture of schools is out of sync with the culture of boys, specifically in the zero tolerance policy held by most (if not all) schools. (Zero tolerance for weapons of ANY kind, plastic, Lego or otherwise and for any physical or written expression of violence.) Not only is school culture is out of sync by not allowing any safe outlets for imagined violence but there is a lack of male presence in schools suggesting that this is a place for girls, not boys; a place where boys must do what the teacher wants them to do all of the time, without their full creativity. Also, the compressed curriculum, where kindergarten is the new second grade, is a detriment for all active children.
Ms. Carr provides a few suggestions to bring boys back into a supportive school environment, by meeting them were they are. The comment that most struck me was the adjustment of teacher attitude towards video games. As these are often the only outlet for violence and accepted dramatic play/imagination for boys, teachers (especially elementary) should be more accepting and supportive of game play. Also, to better engage the educational aspect, she suggests better educational game designs, including games with better naratives and engaging fantasy worlds. To do this designers need better funding (like the World of Warcraft or COD) to support better educational game design.
The only additional thing I would like to hear is her opinion on how to incorporate gaming into a classroom day, or IF it should be incorporated. Should it possibly be an additional, out of school, activity (as it generally is now) just with the possible added educational aspect? Obviously if we make the educational games more fun and "enjoyably engaging" then they could rank right up there with the best selling games like Nazi Zombies. :-) (I'll admit, I enjoy watching "my boys" mow down a horde of zombies, though I utterly FAIL at the task myself!)
Any gaming/boy suggestions from the boys? (or girls)
Maybe it's still true but in the old days male teachers got the hard to handle boys all the time. My goal was to turn those kids around at least for a year. What worked for me were activities like the ones I've mentioned before... making inflatable structures, putting kids inside of cameras, making movies, playing with fire, stuff like that. It was my experience and my belief that all kids, male and female (and kids of all ages) need real work to do. Sometimes building is kids' work, sometimes gaming is kids' work, sometimes service learning is kids' work. Never is training for a test kids' work.
ReplyDeleteThis really rings true for me because one other counselor and I tend to get all the young "hard to handle" boys at summer camp. I tend not to have issues with them because I respect and accept their outbursts and always have activity options. But it is a challenge to keep up the energy and the ideas, so I'm always looking for new ideas on this particular front.
ReplyDelete