The Power of Learning Through Games

My favorite article from this week's reading was Joel Foreman's "Game Based Learning." In particular, one quote from the article stood out for me. The quote is as follows: "Games greatest potential is that they’re worlds in a box. They allow you to create a world that somebody can be in
and take on an identity. People learn most deeply when they take on a new identity that they really want."

I couldn't agree with this quote more. I happen to believe that just about all learning takes place through play. Think about small children. They play pretend all the time. They pretend to be parents to their dolls. They play house and office, usually mimicking their parents. They pretend to cook. They pretend to be doctors. They pretend anything and everything. These games allow them to try out different roles, and they learn while they play those roles. The most important thing they learn is whether or not a certain role is "fun" for them, whether or not it fits them. I played school like it was going out of style, and now here I am, studying to be a teacher. I enjoyed that play, and now I enjoy the real thing.

In my student teaching, I have noticed that a lot of times students "play" without realizing it. They won't know how to answer a question or to do an assignment, so they make up an answer and deliver it in a funny voice. One example is a tenth grader I have, we'll call him R. R likes to put on a snooty British voice and use big words to answer questions about the reading. Half the time, when he's playing in this way, he says things that are profound. It's almost like the role gives him the courage to say the things that he really thinks, without fear of embarrassment.

And, as adults, don't we all feel like we're playing sometimes? I know, most of the time, I feel like I'm just pretending to be a grown up. When tasks just feel too big or overwhelming, I pretend to be more confident and more capable than I really am. Usually, the job gets done, and I learn things in the process.

Since playing seems to be such a natural way of learning, I am all for encouraging play in the classroom. It, like reading, is an excellent way for students to live a thousand different lives, to imagine themselves in brand new situations and scenarios, and most importantly of all, to learn about the world around them and about themselves.