Episode 106 Silviana Falcon on Lectures at Play
Silviana Falcon on Lectures at Play
Episode Summary:
In this podcast episode, host Dave Eng discusses educational games and their integration into traditional lectures with guest Silviana Falcon. Silviana shares her experience of using educational games as fundamental components of her lectures over eight years. She emphasizes the value of creating a welcoming learning environment through interactive games that foster camaraderie and teamwork among students. One of the games she uses, "StarPower" by Garry Shirts from 1969, simulates a three-tier society based on wealth, enabling students to experience power dynamics and economic decisions. Silviana's approach involves gradually introducing games to engage students and enhance their understanding. The episode underscores the benefits of well-chosen educational games for deeper learning.
Silviana Falcon
she/her/hers
Assistant Professor, Florida Southern College
Dr. Falcon is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Florida Southern College’s Barney Barnett’s School of Business and Free Enterprise. In 2019, Dr. Falcon was awarded the Outstanding Faculty of the year by the graduating student body. In the same year, Dr. Falcon was awarded the Sam Walton Fellow of the Year by Enactus USA for excellence in the advancement of the entrepreneurship spirit. In 2020, Dr. Falcon was honored with the Dorotha C. Tanner Chair in Ethics in Business and Economics, one of the highest academic awards bestowed upon a Faculty member. In August 2021 Dr. Falcon published the book titled Lectures and Play: A Practical And Fun Guide To Create Extraordinary Higher Education Classroom Experiences. In 2022, Dr. Falcon was awarded the ODK Professor of the year. As a State Certified Building Contractor, she also manages and leads her own residential and commercial building and remodeling corporation.
(LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvianafalcon/
(Website): https://silvianafalcon.com/
Dave Eng:
Hi, and welcome to Experience Points by University XP. On Experience Points, we explore different ways we can learn from games. I'm your host, Dave Eng, from Games-Based Learning by University XP. Find out more by going to www.universityxp.com. On today's episode, we'll learn from Silviana Falcon. Dr. Silviana Falcon is an assistant professor at Florida Southern College's Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise. In 2020, she received the prestigious Dorotha C. Tanner Chair in Ethics in Business and Economics. Dr. Falcon also authored the book, Lectures and Play: A Practical and Fun Guide to Create Extraordinary Higher Education Classroom Experiences. Silviana, welcome to the show.
Silviana Falcon:
Thank you. It's my pleasure.
Dave Eng:
So Silviana, first I really want to talk about your book because I think that was one of the first introductions I got to your work, and I want to focus this first question on Lectures and Play. So, for our audience, can you share some insights from your book, Lectures and Play? And the subtitle is, A Practical and Fun Guide to Create Extraordinary Classroom Experiences. And specifically, I'd like to focus on this, how do educational games enhance the learning environment and how can they be effectively incorporated into traditional lectures?
Silviana Falcon:
For sure. Over the past eight years, I've consistently integrated educational games as fundamental components of my lectures. In my book, I detail my painful transformation from the expected conventional lecturer to a passionate creator of educational games. In a nutshell, my book outlines my pedagogical approach, which revolves around creating a welcoming learning environment where students begin by applying their existing skills to playing games, and eventually link that game experience to the new knowledge they acquired through my lectures. So, I think of lectures and play as a mutual symbiotic relationship where the interaction of lecture and play create the environment where students thrive.
So, speaking of creating a welcoming learning environment, I've also found that incorporating games into the learning process has this remarkable social impact. For example, I find it fascinating that students, these are college students, start showing up to class early, even to my 8:00 AM class. And instead of being glued to their phones, they engage in lively and amiable discussions or conversations with one another. So, the interactive nature of these educational games helps me foster an environment where camaraderie and teamwork is evident in students.
So, they collaborate, they strategize, they cheer each other on during these activities, creating a truly positive and inclusive environment. So, even beyond the games, the spirit of cooperation carries over to my lectures, which is wonderful. It's truly extraordinary to witness how these games can turn a regular class into an exciting and vibrant space. The students feel a sense of belonging and connection, which I believe boosts their motivation to actively participate in the learning experience. I call it a win-win-win situation because they have fun while being fully engaged in their education, and I have fun teaching.
Now, when it comes to effectively combining lectures and educational games, I found that there's not a one-size-fits-all type of approach. It's all about adapting to the situation and the specific learning objective. So, let me put it to you this way. Sometimes I find it highly effective to begin with a game, immersing the students in an interactive experience. Then I follow up with a lecture using the collective experience we just had in the game to highlight and reinforce the key concepts. This approach allows the students to see real world application of the knowledge they just gained from the game. Now, in other instances, I opt to start with a lecture first. By doing so, I can lay a solid foundation and drive in the essential concepts. So, once the students have a grasp of the foundational knowledge, we then move on to playing the game where they can actively apply these concepts, which I believe ultimately foster a sense of competitiveness and practical understanding.
And you know what? Sometimes I mix things up by starting with a game, creating a lively engaged environment right from the beginning. Afterwards, I delve in the lecture material to provide for their context and insights, and then I turn around and challenge the students a little bit more. I bring back the same game, but with added complexity, allowing them to build upon their earlier experiences and push their boundaries, all within the same lecture or the same time that we're together. In the end, I think it's about striking the right balance and tailoring the approach, the content and the needs of the students. So, I hope my answer provides your audience with a better understanding on how to use these games and the lectures to enhance the learning environment.
Dave Eng:
Great, thank you, Silviana. Super comprehensive response. And there are a few things that you indicated there that I really resonated with, specifically the symbiosis between play and lectures. That's something that I introduce and I also adapt in my own teaching and professional practice. I teach at NYU in the Certificate of Online Learning Program there, and I only teach online, and I realize that there's a didactic component with lectures, but there's also opportunities for engagement with simulations and some games and some other applications of experiential learning. As of this recording, you last presented one of your games at the Games-Based Learning Virtual Conference, the 5S Game, I believe.
Silviana Falcon:
Yes.
Dave Eng:
Could you just briefly give us an overview on what that game was, and if that's something that you use with your students now?
Silviana Falcon:
Oh, I use it every semester, really. It's an extraordinarily simple game, really, where students use the knowledge they already have, which is counting in sequential order, and they have to find numbers in sequential order, but it provides them with an understanding that the task may simple, but the environment in which that task takes place can be chaotic, can be dysfunctional. I teach the management class, Introduction to Management. And I want the students to be able to understand ultimately, no matter what I teach or what they remember from my teaching, is that they themselves are responsible for creating a nurturing environment where their employees can thrive. So, I play this game at the onset of my classes and it sets the stage. All of a sudden, they see themselves as the responsible individuals where success happens in the workplace. And so, it allows me to set the stage, as I mentioned from the beginning, and I weave everything else through that lens, everything else I teach, because I want them to truly understand their responsibility as future managers.
Dave Eng:
Right. Thank you, Silviana. I appreciate it. I think that leads me into my second question here, is again, we're still talking about your book Lectures and Play, but I'd like to focus on ethics in business and economics. So, in your book you discuss the importance of both ethics in business and economics. Could you elaborate on how you address this aspect in your courses at your institution? And what specific topics or activities do you include to encourage ethical decision-making among your students?
Silviana Falcon:
Very important topic. Teaching business ethics is undeniably crucial when it comes to preparing students to ultimately make a positive impact on society. So, it revolves around helping them grasp the art and the science of making sound decisions when they encounter tricky gray areas. So, one of the challenges I face when teaching these concepts is that many students have not yet encountered high-stake situations that put the values to the test. So, business ethics is not just about following rules, which all in itself is sometimes difficult, but it's not just about following rules. It's about navigating a complex situation where the right path isn't always clear cut.
So, to tackle this challenge, I've used a variety of simulation approaches where students can explore consequences of their decisions and practice ethical reasoning in a safe environment. So, one of those educational games that I've used and I've used consistently is called StarPower. I don't know if you've ever played it or if your audience has heard of it before, but it was cleverly designed by Garry Shirts 53 years ago, which is outstanding. The game creates a limited mobility three-tier society based on differential wealth. It's a somewhat complicated game because students have to engage in a series of chip trading sessions, token trading sessions to increase their individual wealth and societal status.
In other words, students have opportunities to exchange these tokens with other students in order to enhance their societal positioning, their scores. Although most students remain in their original group throughout the game, there's a bonus section where a lower status person ends up with an upward mobility opportunity. So, after several trading rounds, the wealthy group earns the right to make rules for the rest of the game, and trading continues under the new established rules. One adaptation that I've made to this game is that I place a significant number of extra credit points to be awarded to the winners, which adds to the real strong competition dimension of the game. And I think it's worth mentioning that it is the only time in the semester where I reward students with extra points.
So, again, this is a very unique, almost like a unicorn opportunity for them to earn extra points. And timing is also key because I play this game right after the midterm exam where some students may be strongly motivated to win to improve their overall grade in the class. So, as a result, it's not surprised that the wealthy class, when given the opportunity, change or manipulate the rules in a way that guarantees their continued success. It's also interesting that some students cheat their way to the top. So, the lower societal class, which is the majority, tend to be very resentful and express a great disappointment on the decisions made by the wealthy class. Some students even inquire as to how to leave this oppressed system, highlighting basic immigration concepts.
So, this game is great at illustrating complex processes of economic, social, and political stratification, as well as linkages between ethical decision-making in the face of great power. So, this is where students understand how power can be misleading, can compromise your values, no matter how much you say you are a high values person or individual who will always do what is right, when the stakes are high is when those values are truly tested. So, the students really are able then to sense what power feels like, and what does it feel to have no power? So, it's a great, great game because the students, we spend a lot of time after the game listening to each other's points, and the outcome of that debriefing has always been a showcase of deeper learning, just by playing that game, than any other method I have ever used to help students understand the blinding effects of power.
Dave Eng:
Wow.
Silviana Falcon:
So, I think, again, here comes a simple game, can create lasting experiences for students who may not have had experiences to rely upon in the past. So, again, the educational games, if well-chosen and well-articulated, can provide a level of experience for students that can help them truly understand what you're trying to convey.
Dave Eng:
Great. Thank you, Silviana. Great responses. I think that the game that you discussed is not one that I'm familiar with. I did play a game originally through one of my colleagues when I used to work for Semester at Sea, which was about the way different societies with different values interact and communicate with one another. Your game seems like it's more focused on the economics of those decisions, which is germane to the question that we asked. But I think that overall, the main focus here is that you're not merely talking about theory with your students, but they're actually experiencing differences in class privilege, ethics surrounding immigration, wealth disparity, the fact that you discussed how the ruling class can then make up the rules for the rest of the game, thus solidifying their power as the ruling class. Just a lot of really great aspects and outcomes, I think for the game overall.
And what particularly made me proud was the fact that you still include a very diverse and deep dive into the debriefing of the game afterwards. Because just talking about theory is one thing, just playing a game is another thing. But playing the game, talking about theory and also discussing students' own feedback and their own experiences with it, I think it's just great overall. Could you just state the game one more time, Silviana, and its author, so that listeners can find it?
Silviana Falcon:
Sure. It's StarPower and it's a 1969 game, and it's Garry Shirts.
Dave Eng:
All right. I'll make sure that I will also include a link in the show notes for those that want to check out their own copy of StarPower. So, Silviana, that brings me to my last question here. I realize that you have a very diverse background as a healthcare administrator, entrepreneur, and now professor. So, I want to know, how do you leverage your experiences in these different areas to offer versatile perspectives in problem-solving? You talked a little bit about that in the last question, but I would like to know, could you share an instance where your ability to view problems from multiple angles has led to a successful business decision or educational approach?
Silviana Falcon:
Sure, certainly. I believe my diverse background has provided me with a wealth of experiences that I leverage to offer various perspectives in problem-solving. For instance, one of the most significant challenges that I encountered during the transition from industry to academia was the stark contrast between the rapidly evolving industry and the relatively unchanged nature of academia's reliance on passive learning methods. It was just mind-boggling to me. So, drawing from my entrepreneurial background, I recognized the need to take initiative and create a positive change. So, I had the confidence and the courage to seek, create, and reimagine activities that helped me bridge the gap between theory and practice. And the results that I've experienced have been extremely rewarding. I've witnessed my students leaning forward in wanting to learn more and wanting to be active participants in their discovery of new knowledge. It's truly been a testament of the power in an innovative and engaging learning approach.
So, I've been able to capitalize on that entrepreneurial background. And as a healthcare administrator working in such a high pace, high stakes environment taught me the value of collaboration and teamwork in problem-solving. So, just last week, I had the opportunity to bring together my diverse background once again, and I collaborated with others within the university where I worked to write a grant proposal that aims to expand the successful blend of lectures and educational games to STEM disciplines within our college.
And so, extending the potential of this pedagogy into the STEM fields excites me greatly. So, all in all, I believe that my diverse background has allowed me to be more open, I guess, to opportunities for innovation, for collaboration and positive change. I'm not sure that I could have had the courage to turn the page and go against the grain of what other professors were doing had I not had those variety of experiences behind me.
Dave Eng:
Thank you, Silviana. I appreciate it. I 100% agree with your approach from passive to active learning. I think that active learning, and as I have used it most frequently through experiential learning, is a really great way to discuss and integrate theory and content as part of the learning process. But my follow-up question is that other faculty members that may be listening to this right now may be struggling with students who they might term disengaged or uninvested in the course. Have you ever experienced or have worked with any students that would be described as such? And if so, what have you done in the past in order to get these students to more actively participate in the learning experience, from your perspective as a faculty member?
Silviana Falcon:
I think that's inevitable. You will have a student who's there because somebody told them to be there, they're not invested, they don't see the value, or somehow their interest lies somewhere else. And so, there's always that. But I can tell you that the way in which I play games, I've learned over the eight years that I can't just expect students to come in and engage right away with me, because they've had K-12 where all they have to do is sit there and pretend to take notes. They're not used to this type of environment. And personally, I don't think that all of us like a lot of change all at once. We are all humans, and I think I've heard that humans only like change when it's in their pockets. So, I am very cognizant of that.
And so, I start my semester by slowly introducing games that are not so out there, that they're not walking about and exchanging these tokens that we talked about in the StarPower game, because that's highly, highly immersive. And so, I start slow. It's almost like I think of them as they know how to walk and I'm teaching them eventually how to run. And so, I start slow, to the point where I'm inviting them, and I try to engage them in trust conversations. And there are some students that I see are not engaging, for example, and then I write them a note, a handwritten note and say, "Look, I'm not seeing you engaging. Can I call upon you the next week? Is it okay if I call upon you?"
And then, I even go so far to write those notes or an email sometimes to a student who I can see their wheels are turning. I can just see it and I know another faculty member who might be listening, or you, who's listening to me right now, you probably can nod and say, "Yeah, I've got those. I can see that their wheels are turning, but they don't speak." So, usually I do a lot of eye contact with those students to gain their trust, and then I also invite them to participate and say, "Hey, can I call upon you the next time? Can you distribute these handouts?"
And so, slowly but surely, intentionally, I gain their trust, and then all of the sudden, those are the students who write on their student evaluations that my class gave them a voice, and that they learned that they could speak, and that, I guess, their thoughts matter to the conversation. And I think those are the ones that I find most rewarding, when I can turn them around and bring them about and have them actually see the wonderful opportunity they have before them to be in college and to literally change their own trajectory and the trajectory of their children and their children's children. So, I think that's the beauty and the challenge. But games allow me to do that.
Dave Eng:
Right. Thank you, Silviana, I appreciate it. Especially appreciate the fact that you put a lot of agency into your students to be an active participant in the process, and I think that really addresses the underlying aspect of motivation. So, that brings us to the very end of our interview. Thanks for joining us today, Silviana. Where can people go to find out more about you, and specifically also pick up a copy of your book Lectures and Play?
Silviana Falcon:
Sure. Thank you. I'm on LinkedIn, of course. You can find my profile on LinkedIn and message me that way. You can also find me at silvianafalcon.com, and my book can be found on Amazon.
Dave Eng:
Great. Thank you, Silviana. I will include links to all of those descriptions in the show notes, so make sure you check it out there. I hope you found this episode useful. If you'd like to learn more, then a great place to start is with my free course on gamification. You can sign up for it at www.universityxp.com/gamification. You can also get a full transcript of this episode, including links to references in the description or show notes. Thanks for joining me.
Again, I'm your host, Dave Eng from Games-Based Learning by University XP. On Experience Points, we explore different ways we can learn from games. If you liked this episode, please consider commenting, sharing and subscribing. Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you'll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you.
I'd also love it if you took some time to rate the show. I live to lift others with learning. So, if found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could also benefit. Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.com. University XP is also on Twitter at University_XP, and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XP. Also, feel free to email me anytime. My email address is dave@universityxp.com. Game on!
Cite this Episode
Eng, D. (Host). (2024, February 25). Silviana Falcon on Lectures at Play. (No. 106) [Audio podcast episode]. Experience Points. University XP. https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/106
Internal Ref: UXP52LLHWUJO
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