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Teaching With Video Games

A topic by Zack created Mar 25, 2019 Views: 1,018 Replies: 7

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Hey everyone. I recently made a website where I create lesson plans for teachers and educators to use video games in their classrooms. It's called Hey Listen Games. You can find it here https://www.heylistengames.com/.

I've often looked for lessons to teach, but have never been able to find actual pre-made lessons using video games. So I've made a bunch of my own. They include lesson plans, handouts, and presentations. I'm posting here, because there are some great games and projects going on in this community and I figured I would reach out to see if anyone wanted me to make a lesson out of one of their video games that could be taught in school. I teach in a high school for reference. It takes me a little while to make each lesson since I have to play the game first, but if you think you have/know of something that could be useful, please let me know and I'll add it to my list of lessons to make.

Anyways, I hope it's okay to somewhat self promote. I'm doing all of this for free and not looking for any money. I just want more people to realize that video games can be a great source of education and a lot of the people here can definitely contribute.

- Zack

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Deleted post5 years ago

Deleted 5 years ago

Zack5 years ago

Did you just say what I said using different words?

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edulofter5 years ago (1 edit)

Have you tested whether this video game teaching model is easily accepted by educators and will it have a negative teaching impact on students?

Teaching methods are now diverse, but not necessarily for most educators.

mod edit: removed the embedded image

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Zack5 years ago(+2)

As with any other medium, teachers should be teaching with materials they are comfortable using. I don't plan on having a majority of teachers begin to use video games. I want teachers who are already familiar with video games to see them as a source for education. There are very few materials out there that actually explain how to teach with games so I wanted to share. Video games are great, and with the right teacher implementing them, they will be among the most rewarding lessons of each year.

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edulofter5 years ago (1 edit)

The use of video games in teaching is still immature and will take some time to develop. But it is undeniable that some teachers have begun to use video game teaching. But there is currently no complete video game teaching material. So, we should treat this issue dialectically.

It is important that what teachers and students need.

mod edit: removed the embedded image

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Cosine Interactive5 years ago (1 edit)

I kind of liked the concept, so how effective was it? Would love to hear your progress :) To an extent my life has really improved through playing single player games so I know its effective but I don't know how effective it would be for everyone else

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Zack5 years ago(+1)

In my experience, I would say it is just as effective as any other medium teachers use (books, movies, tv, comics, articles). I don't have clear evidence that it is the best way to teach, but it is definitely a way that should be taught. Every student learns differently and that one student who has been having a difficult time grasping a concept may finally understand after interacting with a game. These lessons have been some of my more fruitful lessons. They don't replace any of my traditional teaching methods, but they are a great addition/supplement to my course.

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DaedalusMachina5 years ago

Zack, I absolutely flipping love you right now <3

I still remember my Apple IIe days playing Math Muncher and Oregon Trail in the computer lab on those incredibly-rare days that we'd be able to use it. In joining my school's computer club, it was just a way to use the computers more than once every other month lol. Kinda sad that the computer lab would go unused for days at a time because teachers didn't feel like using it. :(

I have to say that video games have had the single greatest impact on my life when it comes to learning things through tangential learning. I would say that I could assist you in coming up with several dozen bits of tangential learning opportunities (with full lesson plans) but I'd need to of course get paid for that. Not sure if your school's budget permits hiring a consultant ;)

Here's some freebies though:

-Many turn-based 8-bit and 16-bit RPGs in general are typically excellent for vocabulary, grammar, and syntax of the English language. Check out the Final Fantasy series. Not perfect but still nice. I'd highly recommend Final Fantasy 6 in particular. An entire curriculum could be drawn around the various themes of the game, the characters, the world design, the philosophy of the human condition, the ethics of theft/vandalism against an oppressive totalitiarian force (think 1984 but interactive) and dozens of other topics.

-I learned the word 'anasthetic' from Ninja Gaiden 1 for NES. Please don't completely discount a game just because of genre or the type of game it is.

-Final advice: Nearly any (good) game can be a learning opportunity. Some classic examples are the 'Civilization' series of games. There's a FLOSS (Free and Libre Open Source Software) clone called 'FreeCiv' which would be excellent for the classroom IMHO.

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