Within the underwater themed walls of my 3rd grade English Language Arts classroom, there is a constant battle to keep my students on tasked, focused, and motivated. Using video clips and moving animations can only hold their attention for so long. These kids are used to cell phones, iPads, video games, and television. They are used to winning or losing and knowing within seconds of it happening. From the management system, Responsive Classroom, Chip Wood writes, "[3rd graders are] willing to take risks; usually recover quickly from mistakes or problems." This quote alone shows the essential benefit to using games to enrich the education of my students. Knowing that my students are more likely to take those risks in a safe and game-based environment encourages me to incorporate more gaming into the classroom. And if this age group is able to bounce back after mistakes, they will likely makes those mistakes and games and learn from them. It makes me think of the famous Thomas Edison quote, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." If that doesn't sum up the personality of third graders, I don't know what does.
Chip Wood also say, "[3rd
graders] have limited attention span but can become engrossed in an
activity." Allowing the students to make choices within the games and take
the risks mentioned above leads right into students becoming engrossed in
activities. My students, at least, are going to become much more engrossed in a
digital game rather than a writing or reading assignment that could essentially
assess the same skills.
James Eames, writes,
"...students applied the reading strategies they have been honing all year
to this new medium, with great success. While they played through the game,
students kept logs of clues..." Pushing students to use their
prior knowledge in a video game will have students show what they know while
keeping them engaged and thinking.
Although there are so many critical-thinking digital games for other subjects and older grades, this 3rd grade teacher struggles with finding games that will really lead to student-centered thought without the games being too juvenile or repetitious. I will always be on the lookout for something that is Reading or Writing based and can be brought down to the upper elementary age range.
References:
Eames, J. (2014, May 28). What
Game Based Learning Can Do for Student Achievement (EdSurge News). Retrieved
March 14, 2016, from
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-05-28-what-game-based-learning-can-do-for-student-achievement
Wood, C. (2011). Knowing Third
Graders. Retrieved March 14, 2016, from
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/about/
