Engaging with purpose: Game-based learning
Engaging with purpose: Game-based learning
Engaging with purpose: Game-based learning
July18, 2022
By Brendan Ward and Wesley Anderson
Summary
Students are able to generate more robust knowledge through games than through traditional rote learning methods, provided that they are given the appropriate support by facilitators when engaging with the game environment.
A successful game - whether strictly educational or for entertainment purposes - should facilitate what Rosario and Widmeyer call a 'constructivist gaming learning environment', in which a user can learn the game's rules and functions.
In this space, the student is an active part of the learning process, and they create meaning and understanding by interacting with the learning environment - i.e. a game or interactive virtual space.
These principles should rather be viewed as desirable best practices for designing effective GBLEs, and as tools for fostering constructivist game learning environments.
Flutter: Butterfly Sanctuary is a mobile game with an educational purpose baked into its design, as players are taught about different butterfly species of the world.
We can use insights from this game to better understand how to integrate the different elements of an interactive learning experience in a fun and engaging way.
Games are a powerful tool for providing students with a space in which to generate ideas and hypotheses, and to actively participate in the learning process in an engaging way.
Reference
Ward, B., & Anderson, W. (2022, July 18). Engaging with purpose: Game-based learning - edge education. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/371/229783.html