GBL and 21st Century Skills

In what ways do games address curriculum standards?

GBL can be superior to traditional classroom learning in that it fosters creativity and training the learners to be great innovators. However, GBL is easily surpassed by traditional classroom learning due to its cost where each learner needs to have access to computers or other gaming devices.

In what ways do they address 21st Century skills?

GBL addresses the 21st Century skills in the following ways:

(i)           By ways of thinking. Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and learning

(ii)          By ways of working which involves Communication and collaboration

(iii)         By providing tools for working. ICT and information literacy

(iv)         By developing skills for living in the world. Citizenship, life and career, and personal and social responsibility

Would you include games under the umbrella of knowledge-building activities?

I wouldn’t jump into including GBL into the curriculum simply because its initial cost and the technically involved like using the Kahoot for the first time isn’t so friendly and may cost a lot of time.

Is it more important for learners to play games or create games?

Where the game is easy to access and easy to play, psychologists believe that playing such games make the children feel happier and may improve their (learner’s) moods, promote relaxation and ward off anxiety. That in this case the learners develop emotional resilience which they can rely on in their daily lives. Playing games hence becomes more important than creating games.

How can digital games be incorporated into your subject/grade?

Such integration is possible by:

(i)           embedding the instructional game into the curriculum and this is normally done by introducing the students to the game and learning objectives; the teacher tells the learners what they will be learning by playing the game and after the game is played, the teacher debriefs the learners on what they learned. This process ensures that learning occurs from playing the game.

(ii)          including instructional support. Instructional support helps learners understand how to use the game; increases the instruction effectiveness of the gaming experience by allowing them to focus on the instructional information rather than the requirements of the game.

(iii)         ensuring game objectives align with curriculum objectives. That the more closely aligned curriculum goals and game goals, the more the learning outcomes of the game will match the desired learning outcomes of the student.

Ciao!