Gaming to re-engage boys in learning

This is a very hurried post and one I will add to later with more substance. I just wanted to get Ali-Carr's TED talk out there as the area of gamifying learning is becoming a passion of mine. 

This is a great TED talk about why we need to re-engage boys learning through gaming. It is about bringing education to their level rather than what we, as educators, perceive how they should learn. This includes what they learn. We are failing many of our boys.  I am already on this journey of how to engage students more in their learning through gamification. Reflecting on my home class and my team, I am seeing a growing number of boys 'restless' with their learning. Through conversations, I know these boys love gaming.

I am not talking about online games that are skill and drill. While they have there place, they are not sustainable for a continued growth in learning as they become repetitive and boredom sets in.  I am talking about gaming that challenges, decisions having to be made as to the best course of action to achieve an end goal, levelling up as skills are gained and collaboration with others to name a few. This is about connecting educators with game designers to create story narratives.  Wikipedia describes game based learning as...

Game based learning (GBL) as a type of gameplay that has defined learning outcomes. Generally, game-based learning is designed to balance subject matter with gameplay and the ability of the player to retain and apply the said subject matter to the real world.

This is the direction we need to head. Is it the only way to engage these boys - of course not but it is certainly meeting them in a place they are familiar with and love. Isn't that where education is headed...encouraging students to learn through their passions?

Here is a link to an amazing school in the USA called Quest to learn. This school has influenced me greatly as to how we can change up learning and therefore engagement.


Footnote:
Recently with two other colleagues, I completed a Literature Review on gaming dynamics and their impact on student engagement. This was also followed up with a plan of engaging Year 5-8 students in gamifying reading.