Games As Stealth Learning Tools?

Thanks to the Chronicle Of Higher Education for their transcript on 'Video Games in the Classroom', chronicling a video Q+A with Professor James Gee, following his earlier article on the same subject. A number of interesting points are raised - to the question of "Where's the research that shows that games... improve application of logical reasoning [or cause] increased sensitivity to moral issues?", the professor suggests: "I would not want to claim that 'video games have positive effects,' but rather that 'video games used in different ways have different effects'." The concept of 'stealth learning' is also discussed - Gee says that "Learning works best when the learners are so caught up in their goals that they don't realize they are learning, or how much they are learning, or where they actively seek new learning inside and outside the game."

Comments

Problem based learning and knowledge transfer

[neglige]

Learning with games is basically "problem based learning" as advocated by the constructivistic learning theory. The game creates a problem and leaves the solution up to the player. The more realistic the problem is, and the more freedom the player has for the solution, the better is the learning result. Sims like "Capitalism" or "SimCity" are good examples for this.

Studies show that students have problems applying knowledge to real problems (knowledge transfer) when the knowledge has been acquired by "traditional" learning processes, e.g. sitting in class and listening to a teacher. Learning with realistic problems (case studies) eases the transfer process. So if you are about to plan a city, "SimCity" would help you much better than "Age of Empires". Even though the latter has some aspects of placing buildings, "SimCity" is closer to the real problem.

I'm sure this is not a perfect example, but right now I can't think of a better one. Hopefully it's sufficient ;)

Re:It doesn't sound so new to me

[couch_potato]

Indeed. Remember The Electric Company? It made learning fun, and you didn't even REALIZE that you were learning. I haven't been able to find anything much like that these days. Sesame Street can't hold the attention of my 5 year old nephew, unlike Spongebob. And the only thing that Spongebob has taught him is that he can roll his eyes up into his head and see his brain.

You need a license to own a dog, but any fool can have a child.