Cedar Trees

This first thing that McGonigal talks about is "Gaming the system".  This is were you use the system for your own personal gain.  At first this can sound like a bad thing, or at least when I first read it the phrase sounded kind of harsh. However this is not the case because we have to adapt things in our favor in order to proceed in life.  Now adapting things should not be confused with manipulating, which is unwilling control over something.  We want to use what is available to us in order to do the best we can and as teachers we want students to learn how to do this.

McGonigal has four defining traits of a good game.  The first of these traits is the prescence of a goal.  In life when something become monotonous or boring we look to see what the purpose of this task really is.  If we decide there is no reason to continue this work we drop it and move on.  The same is true in life, if there is no goal insight we move on.  Unfortunately this has been applied many many times in the world of education.  Students see no point in learning these subjects so they drop it, or drop out, and move on.  As teachers we need to show them that there is a reason, give them a goal to go towards.

Her second point is rules.  No one that I know of likes all of the rules. Though no one that I know would say that there shouldn't be some kind of rules in place.  Rules in a way limit us to the different methods of achieving a goal.  This causes us to think and as McGonigal points out causes us to unleash creativity in order to find new ways to solve problems.  Rules don't completely limit you they just cause you to think of new ways of doing what you need to in order to progress.

I know when I do work I like feedback.  This is McGonigal's next point.  Sometimes it seems that we want to know everything, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  We need feedback so that we know we are going down the right path and are making choices that are getting us to our goals.  I have had times where I didn't recieve any feedback and I failed to learn from the mistakes that I made and it left me wondering how could I improve.  For students, we as teacher's are that feedback.  We have a responsibility to tell our students how well they are doing or where they need improvement.

No one likes a game if they are forced to play it.  |Voluntary participation is the last trait of games that McGonigal talks about.  Everyone, our students, goal in this is learning or becoming better learners as they continue through life.  If you don't have the willingness of your students then they are not going to learn.  Some students just need to have someone to re ensure then that this is not a scary journey and that they can do this.

When we set up our classrooms we must avoid unnecessary obstacles.  McGonigal says that these obstacles tell the students or players that there is no way to succeed in the mission.  This kind of negative attitude doesn't belong in the classroom.  It should be a place where failure is possible but not the end of learning.  Make sure that your students feel as if they can go on, whether this means staying at a certain place longer or coming up with new methods to help them journey forth.

Just the same way we get rid of the negative thoughts within the classroom we need to instead fill it with positive ones.  Encourage your students, you may be the only person who believes in them and knows that they are capable of more than they realize.  Be that guide in the game that never gives up on you even though you have died seven times and have been stuck on this one puzzle for a week now.  Games can naturally provoke this positive attitude but you can be the one, the teacher, that kindles that small ember into the roaring fire that student can be.

Busywork is such a horrid thing that should have never been invented in the first place.  I understand that it works for some but the vast majority that I have talked to have gained nothing from it.  In games there is not busy work, everything feels important and gets you one step closer to your goal.  I do believe that busywork can be re-purposed to have meaning but that is up to the teacher to decide what that means for their own class.

McGonigal loves the experience aspect of games.  Letting students experience new things in a fun way  gets their attention and draws them into a place in which they are hard pressed to leave.  Figuring out how to draw them in is the only hard part because we know once they are there the rest will come naturally.  Some students may never see a beach but in a game they can play on one.  Giving students these experiences and see their face light up is one of the best feelings ever.

The last point in this chapter is about creative work.  Games are scaffolded but in such a way that kids are almost instantly propelled to the creative level of thinking.  I know when I play a game I miss the lower levels of thinking because they go by so fast and I am trying to figure out new things to create.  Blooms is evident in games and this can be utilized in order to develop student learning.  I say, use games in the classroom.  Students learn and have fun, what's wrong with that?