Game Based Learning - Definition

• Definition of GBL
  Game based learning is another method of teaching where the children experiences and explores certain aspects of the game (which can be educational games or entertainment games) in relation to the lesson and it is facilitated by teachers.

• Elements of GBL/How GBL is different from traditional teaching
  Elements of GBL:
  1. Games provide concrete experiences
     Games provides environments that students may not necessary experience in real life but it gives the students that they are actually there.
  2. Games promote complex thinking
     Games provides students the chance to practice their logical thinking such as sequencing and decision-making skills and applying them to the game. They then can use what they apply to the lesson. For example, with the MacDonald's Game, students have to control the different aspects of running the enterprise and so they use their decision-making skills and sequencing skills and apply it to the game.
  3. Games provide informal learning, accidental learning or meaningful learningGames may have generate the interest of the students and thus prompting them to say, "hey, that looks interesting... i shall look it up on the net." and thus provides Self-directed learning. For example, people who play Guitar Hero and they like the songs in the game, they can go and research the songs on the net thus learning about music history and music legends like the Beetles.
  4. Games provides collaboration or competition between classmates or teacher and students

     Students will have the chance to talk about the game and share information with each other about the strategies that they use to level up or to gain something in the games thus they have collaboration. 

     Students can also compete with one another and that provides a chance to communicate different ideas on how to do the particular task. Students can also observe and learn from their mistakes of others and the students that  make the mistakes can tutor the rest of the students so that they do not make the same mistakes.

         
     

What is the difference between traditional teaching and game based learning??Traditional teaching is concerned with the teacher being the controller of the learning environment. Power and responsibility are held by the teacher and they play the role of instructor (in the form of lectures) and decision maker (in regards to curriculum content and specific outcomes). They regard students as having 'knowledge holes' that need to be filled with information. In short, the traditional teacher views that it is the teacher that causes learning to occur (Novak, 1998)
whereas game based is student centered and basically the game is the platform where learning occurs. it does not mean that the teacher will take a step back, the teacher is still in in the classroom just that they facilitate the learning.

Ideas for implementing GBL

have the school build a game studio? but unlikely....
Introduce games from the internet that is related to your cs.