3 Quick Reasoning Lessons From GamePlay
We hear a lot about gameplay as a great teaching method, but many teachers don't fully understand how to use this strategy, or even what it means. It's simple really, it means creating a learning environment where the learners are given opportunities to discover, and are validated for their achievements. It also involves all types of grouping, from individual journeys, to small teams, to whole units working together, each with their own special assignment, just like pieces of a puzzle waiting to be put together.
The other day, while struggling to come to terms with a reality that I disliked, I was offered a simple, effective, and easy to implement lesson on gameplay. It came to support my first steps in the accepting of the facts, with a validation that I hadn't foreseen. I had to share because too often we forget to listen to ourselves and accept others' opinions as the norm, not questioning the motive because we are used to strive for perfection; we seek feedback when our own confidence should be our guide.
Lesson #1: The game is only engaging when all players are allowed to play.
We hear so much about teamwork and supporting the team, being one with the team, and not disagreeing with the team because that would be unsporting, that at some point one has to stop and wonder "if there's no I in TEAM, why is there and M and an E"? Where is the individual, the person hired in that team to bring a different, much needed skill, to function as a distinct part of a well oiled mechanism? This is, after all, the greatest thing about a team, the different skills and abilities, working together to build one marvelous piece! Why then would we expect the members of a team to suppress their skills, forget their uniqueness, and bow to a uniform functioning? We wouldn't expect all the gears in a mechanism to be the same size and shape, would we?
Lesson #2: The leader of the game is the one with most skills (and points).
Once someone beats their score, they have to learn new skills, find more allies, learn more, and continue to play the game to restore their score. Learning is not linear, and the passion is what keeps the gamer in play. There is no grandfathered leadership in the game. By building with their allies, the leaders increases their own learning curve as well as their team's, thus creating an engaging learning environment and a sense of safety within their community of gamers. The leader is also the one who enjoys the game most, hence the amount of time spent playing it.
Lesson #3: When completing all the levels in the game, the leader moves on to another game.
If they continue to play the game and compete for the highest ranking position they are missing out on more learning, and losing their edge. The best players are the ones who put all they have into the game. They play the game because it entices them. They have a personal interest in winning the game - because it's amazing and their skills are sharpened, and bettered by it. Sure, it's easy to stay on top of a game for a long time once all the plots have been figured out and play is simple, but it is also predictable that the game will age, lose players, or become redundant, and while old games are still fun, they don't build any new skills or thrills.
These are easy lessons to apply in any area of one's learning, personal, professional, or even more specific, to any topic that one explores, be it project management or teaching math. And here's a recent MOOC from Google to help you build your gameplay skills.