This past week, the New York Times published an extensive article about an experimental school program in New York City in which sixth and seventh graders’ lessons are primarily based in video games. You can read the whole article here, but I've written up a synopsis.
The program, called Quest to Learn, was created by video game designer Katie Salen as “a way to make learning feel simultaneously more relevant to students and more connected to the world beyond school.”
“There’s been this assumption that school is the only place that
learning is happening, that everything a kid is supposed to know is
delivered between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., and it happens in the confines of a
building,” Salen said. “But the fact is that kids are doing a lot of
interesting learning outside of school. We acknowledge that, and we are
trying to bring that into their learning here.”
Going into its second year, Quest to Learn is based on the premise that school should be hands-on and fun, just like playing a game. Students aren’t even graded on a traditional A-F scale, but rated by level of expertise.
Kids still learn the basics, like pre-algebra and writing, but within interdisciplinary classes where the students try to complete quests. The students also do multimedia projects, such as recording podcasts, making videos and blogging. They get to make their own games, too.
Probably the most immersive part of the curriculum is Smallab, which stands for “situated multimedia art learning lab.” The device is like a Wii intensified and very educational. Students hold motion-sensitive orbs and wands whose movements change what happens within a game. The computer projects images onto the floor so kids feel like they’re really part of the action. One of the lessons focuses on geology, which they can learn by building and shifting digital layers of sediment and fossils on the classroom floor.
The viability of the program remains to be seen. Quest to Learn students who took standardized tests in the spring “scored on average no better and no worse than other sixth graders in their district.”
There are advocates of the idea of games replacing tests, as well as the idea of “failure-based learning,” in which failure is brief, surmountable and often exciting just like it is in most of today’s popular video games.
It will be interesting to see how the Quest to Learn program fares as it continues to develop and grow, if it’s allowed to do so.
What do you think of the program? I believe most of us would love to have been a student in the program – who wouldn’t want to play and create games all day? – but would you send your child to a school like this? Share with us your opinions and suggestions.