Running head: VIDEO GAMES IN EDUCATION 1

Video Games in Education

Megan Kalina

Western Oregon University

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Abstract

This paper examines current issues in our education model and provides suggestions with

implications on how video games in the classroom can enhance childrens learning. A strong

focus on educators and their classroom as the initial placement of change to stimulate the

education reform is evident throughout the reading; this is in expectancy that educators will be

inspired to take control of their classrooms. Well known figures in education such as Seymour

Papert, John Gatto, and Benjamin Bloom provide a solid foundation to this paper and support for

the use of video games in the classroom. Simple changes will evoke surprising responses from

children and will encourage their educators to continue adding technology into their classrooms.
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Video Games in Education

Introduction

School is an integral part of our culture and has been since the early 1900s. Few will argue the

importance of an education, but many including myself are cringing at how we are educating our

current children: school. Before you come at me with a flaming torch and pitch fork, I am not

implying school should be vanished to the outlands. Instead, I want you to try to throw out your

current vision of what school looks like. Envision a classroom that welcomes and embodies all

possibilities that can improve childrens learning.

Our current education is still largely modeled on an industrial model that is a century old. While

our education history is not as linear as some imply, the building blocks largely remain

unchanged. The past five decades have been filled with conversation of an education reform with

little successes (Bridich, 2015). The conversations are developing and the ideas are well

articulated; the implementation is dearth. The key is in the classroom. Alas, educators receive the

brunt of the tragedies happening within our schools from parents, administrators, and the state.

No matter how well intended administrators may be, insignificant change can occur

unless administrators are willing to open up their communication with the educators working at

their schools. This proposal attempts to close the perception gap and have administrators work

with teachers instead of against them. Many educators are crying out for a change, but continue

on being miserable and confined within the walls of their own classroom. Only educators

themselves can liberate schools and education through small changes within their own

classrooms (Smith, 1998). Pursuing the education reform with an open mind as well as a

willingness to change and support educators is vital. Some may disagree with these ideas,

however, few will disagree that our education system is fine the way it is. Our current
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schooling model is not allowing our children to reach their full potential and is stifling their

creativity. While many are aware of these problems, any attempt to fix or change anything is

inconceivable to the masses. Proposing the use of technology in the classroom, children can

expand their views of the world without ever physically leaving. Children can collaborate with

others while acquiring the skills of working with upwards of twenty people to solve a common

task. Children are allowed to make autonomous decisions with little repercussions while taking

on the role of an individual other than themselves; perhaps running a business, traveling, or

performing medical procedures.

Technology

Although technology has been a major hot topic over the past several years, few can argue the

importance of technology in this day in age. However, the agreement usually ends there and

further controversy surrounds technology within education. With the implementation of

technology tools such as video gaming; our children can become more independent and self-

fulfilling learners. Video games are more than a time drain or reward and can be integrated

within childrens learning. This paper examines educators time hold on children, curriculum

used in classrooms, as well as childrens lack of interest in school that manifests itself through

acting out in the classroom. With examining these select problems, this paper presents the

affordances that video games provide to children in an educational setting.

Time Management

In order to allow our children to reach their maximum potential, adults need to take a step back

from micromanaging childrens time. Our children operate on a robotic schedule. The bell
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dictates when the child picks up their pencil and abruptly informs them when they most stop

(Gatto, 2005). The bell has little regard to where a student is in their thought process. Once the

final bell rings, the children are free to leave whether they have accomplished anything or not;

the time was put in. Others will say having children follow a bell schedule teaches them rules

and deadlines, which is a valid argument as I realize the importance of time management.

However, this argument falls flat as I do not see many adults operating on a bell schedule.

Imagine being in the middle of an important email for work and a bell resonates through your

office informing you that you must switch tasks.

Instead of managing childrens time for them, instead allow children through trial and

error the ability to learn time management. As children move through the education system and

peak into early adulthood, time management becomes a vital skill. Video games present a

problem and children must solve this problem within a time limit. The consequences can vary in

severity, but provide students with a sense of urgency due to the childs investment in the game.

It should come as little surprise that children focus their time and energy into matters that

they feel immediately benefit themselves. While we teach children, we must keep in mind the

key components of learning and remembering. Learning and remembering are often times used

interchangeably. For the purpose of this paper the terms are differentiated. Remembering is the

act of reiterating the information one has just presented them and stored in short term memory.

After a few days, the learning becomes blurrier and within weeks the information may become

unrecallable by the child. If information moves from short term memory to long term memory,

then learning has occurred. Vast amount of material enter into our short term memory; minute

amount of material has the privilege of moving into long term memory. Educators must assure

children are being presented with learning opportunities that are meaningful and hands-on as this
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will evoke a richer experience which increases the chances of the material moving into long term

memory. Requiring children to rote memorize facts in hopes the child can reiterate for the sake

of passing an exam has no benefit to the child. Children understand there is little importance of

putting forth any effort and are not afraid to express their disinterest.

Seymour Papert proposed that teaching the process rather than the right or wrong answer

would lead to a deeper level of learning. Video games never provide you with the answer

ever. This is a stark comparison to what currently happens within the classroom. Educators and

parents a like encourage childrens rote memorization skills and downplay the importance of

learning the process, which as mentioned previously assures that the material never reaches long-

term memory. This makes children reliant on others particularly adults and once adults

themselves show to have little problem solving capabilities (Gatto). As children, it is expected in

our society that children are a burden with little ability to care for themselves. On the other side,

we expect these children to gracefully transition from the inability to make themselves a

sandwich one day to fully self-sufficient adults the next. The number of individuals receiving

government assistance is at an all time high as well as the number of individuals that frequent

fast food establishments. The main theme is the lack of self-sufficiency amongst those merging

into adulthood. Papert as well as Gatto forcefully maintain the stance that children need the

ability to practice these skills in a safe environment in order to proficiently perform in the real

world. Providing children with meaningful learning experiences allow children to retain the

information and transfer these practiced skills learned through video games into future real life

encounters.

Curriculum
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Not only do children follow a stringent schedule, but they are required to learn what is being

taught with no input in order to follow the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The

curriculum is often created from individuals so far removed from the classroom with little stake

in the matter. Educators are not the ones in control over the content their children are learning or

even the pedagogy used to deliver the content. Childrens critical thinking and problem solving

skills become pointless as they are told the right way as well as the wrong way of doing things.

As a society we are giving all of our children a similar education without taking into

consideration the actual ability of applying this information into the real world.

Inattentiveness

Another common theme that I hear from young and old alike is the lack of interest children

exhibit in the classroom. The old blame it on a lack of discipline and the young claim school is

boring. Research disagrees with both and insists it is due to the lack of challenging material.

Papert promotes the fact that one never hears video game makers advertise their games as easy.

Video games have the Goldilocks qualities; not too difficult and not too easy. Many educators

are familiar with Blooms Taxonomy. A major portion of the video games currently available on

the market focus on the higher level thinking such as analyze, evaluate, and create. Alternatively,

many educational computer games offered to children currently in the classroom are focused on

the lower levels of Bloom (Zencraft, 2013). For example, a popular math game focuses on rote

memorization. Keeping in mind Blooms Taxonomy, memorization is one of the lowest levels of

thinking and this popular math game promotes memorizing addition facts instead of learning the

math conceptually. Children need to be challenged. With the use of video games that use higher

level of Blooms, children move through different levels in the game that allow the child to move

at their own pace and adapt the game to suite their needs (Gee, 2007).
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There is a huge push for personalized learning for each student. Most will agree that

personalized learning is a necessity. If you ask most teachers exactly how they are accomplishing

this in their classroom, they will be gasping for air as they try to answer you from the ever rising

water they are drowning in. The ratio of students to teacher is too high with 20 plus students

being the norm (Education Commission of the States, 2014). Many educators do not have the

time to meet the demands of their current workload none the less spend time creating

personalized learning material for their class at several different levels. The use of video games

are structured in a manner that allow students to take risks while mastering skills which promote

students to safely make mistakes. The most profuse learning happens from making multiple

errors before reaching the erring free light bulb moment that Jean Piagets work focused on

many years before video games were invented (Eddy, 2010). Furthermore, video games are

designed with the intent to entertain, which leaves many wondering where they fit into learning.

Many games are designed on a platform that allow children to explore and seek out information

through tangential learning. The benefits of tangential learning are profuse due the children

taking an extreme interest on a subject and later self-educating themselves.

Opponents

Many will oppose the claims about the positive correlation of video games and learning by

stating video games have a negative impact on childrens brains as well as obesity, attention,

attitude, and academic performance (AAP, 2011). Schools adding mandatory screen time are

increasing childrens risk to experiencing negative impacts that the American Academics of

Pediatrics founded (Schroeder, 2015). To put it succinctly, opponents of video games as a mode

for learning are attempting to shift the blame for screen time that is happening outside of the

classroom. As I am sure you all are advocates for children and their education, you may be
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questioning my motives for increasing screen time when there are clearly documented negative

side effects. I want to equate the use of technologies that require screen time, such as video

games similarly to any other temptation that individuals encounter. Moderation is the key. I am

not proposing we switch every lesson to a video game format as I am aware of the dangers that

come with too much of a good thing. Emphasizing to those in disagreement about video games

and full heartedly realizing video games are not a Band Aide to our failing education system

instead this is one of many technologies currently available to our children and educators.

Educators have these technologies at their disposal. Implementing video games into an

educators classroom does not inherently burden the educator with an immense workload. After

the initial learning on the educators part, which is often enhanced through witnessing their

students innate ability to manipulate video games with ease, the workload for the educator

decreases. The children are able to work at their own pace while challenging themselves. This

eases the educators workload and allows the educator to interact and observe the children in her

classrooms skills. Assessment comes in all shapes and sizes. Informal assessments and

observations can provide valuable information to the educator in terms of guiding the children to

reach their fullest potential.

Conclusion

Pursuing implementation of different ways of educating our children regardless of how

outlandish the idea may seem is critical to successfully changing our current education model.

Providing strong support for our educators to ensue change happens within their classrooms as

well as overhauling the hierarchy of command within school is vital. Video gaming will allow

children to be successful and independent learners while focusing on skills that transfer into the

real world. Video games in education will not be the sole driving force that reforms education,
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proposing such a radical idea would be foolish. There is no such thing as a singular driving force.

Educators need to begin to look at other alternate modes of educating our children. Beginning

with making small changes within their own classroom. Once educators witness the effects from

changing their vision of what educating looks like, educators will find their voice and advocate

for what works best for their children instead of doing what is told should work in their

classrooms. Once educators, administrators, and parents realize what coming together and

listening to the needs of children can accomplish, anything can happen. With educators taking

charge, the children will follow suit; thus promoting a ripple effect that once reaches the masses

will prove to be powerful enough to reform education.

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References

American Academy of Pediatrics. 2011.

Bloom, B.S. 1984. Taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman. Smith, F.

Bridich, S. (2015). The invisible schism: Teachers and administrators differing perceptions of

education reforms. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24(87).

Eddy, S. (2010) Theories of cognitive development: Jean Piaget. Pyschohawks. Retrieved from

https://psychohawks.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/theories-of-cognitive-development-jean-

piaget/

Education Commission of the States. 2014.

Gatto, J. (2005). Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling.

Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers.

Gee, J. P. (2008) Learning and games. The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and

Learning.

Papert, S. (2005). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. New York:

Basicbooks.

Schroeder, J. (2014). How technology in schools harm our kids. Lifestyle. Retrieved from

http://aleteia.org/2015/07/28/how-technology-in-schools-harms-our-kids/2/

Smith, F. (1998). The book of learning and forgetting. New York: Teachers College Press.

Zencraft. (2013) Why video games should be used in the classroom. Retrieved from

https://www.reddit.com/r/truegaming/comments/udg1d/why_video_games_should_be_us

ed_in_the_classroom/