Game-Based Learning

In a formidable effort to embrace the potential of technology, Lamoille Union placed iPads into the hands of every student in grades 7-12 two years ago. This continuing initiative, known as Lancer One, is guided by four important principles: universal access, spontaneous learning, equity, and personalized learning. Of these four principles, we have made strong gains in the first three, and it is in the fourth–personalized learning–that I see the greatest potential for growth. With the advent of Act 77 and Personalized Learning Plans, the time is ripe for a return to what school should be: simultaneously full of wonder and adventure. I intend to recapture these qualities through the study of games-based learning, and to harness the transformative potential of Lamoille Union’s 1:1 iPad initiative.

Transformative, authentic experiences engage, connect, and inspire. Remarkable lessons accomplish this in the classroom, in addition to instilling a sense of wonder and adventure in their participants. As evidenced daily by the allure they have for our students, games have the power to encompass all of this and more. In fact, games could well be one of the best methods of curriculum delivery yet to gain real traction in everyday lesson design. The educational benefits of well-designed games are numerous: they motivate us through challenges and then reward us for our accomplishments; they celebrate experimentation and reward our “failures”; they engage us, connect us with others, and ultimately remind us that play is a universal teacher. Games captivate students with the promise of fun, and as rigorous educational tools, challenge students to push their boundaries and create meaningful learning experiences.

As a Rowland fellow, I will deepen my understanding of how the components of game-play are successfully applied to curriculum design and personalized learning. It is my goal to design two humanities games based on the themes of Identity and Survival, as well as to create a template for games-based lessons that will offer time-starved teachers a faster, more accessible path to games-based learning. My guiding principle will be to frame learning as an adventure as I increase the capacity of our Lancer One initiative and establish a mindset that embraces the wonder of games as powerful learning tools.