tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post3583600972896350501..comments2024-03-14T02:53:31.171+00:00Comments on Tom Bennett's School Report: Game Over: the perils of Gamifying the classroom.Tom Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-75533777104108103792011-05-10T22:06:33.999+01:002011-05-10T22:06:33.999+01:00@ Anonymous
'But their boss/employer may noti...@ Anonymous<br /><br />'But their boss/employer may notice them if they go above and beyond the other drones.'<br /><br />I'm not sure how you're using the term drones here: people with jobs aren't drones, unless you subscribe to a paradigm of society that I don't recognise.<br /><br />'We do things we because we are nice and we continue to do them because other people are nice in return.'<br /><br />Only sometimes; this massively simplifies human behaviour and motivation. We also perform many acts simply because we feel them to be the right thing to do; events of altruism that we may never be recognised for. People aren't entirely egoistic. We're also self-sacrificial- we often perform actions even if it costs us.<br /><br />'We reward people that go above and beyond the call of duty. They have to stand out and I believe that doing this in education prepares them for the real world.'<br /><br />Sometimes we do; and sometimes we don't. And often the reward is nothing more than a thank you. Often it's the knowledge of doing well. Of course, it's possible to deny the existence of genuine altruism, perhaps by saying that all acts, even sacrificial ones, are performed for the pleasure of knowing one has done the right thing. But this is a mistake. To say, eg that a mother who gives up her career, her privacy, her time and relationships to look after her severely handicapped child for a lifetime of stressful, thankless bondage is doing it for the 'warm rosy glow' felt by doing good, is to stretch the concept of psychological egoism to the braking point, until the idea of 'selfishness' is so broad and all-encompassing, that it ceases to have a distinct meaning and becomes, literally meaningless.<br /><br />Games are a useful tool in short term motivation; as a teaching strategy, and as a device to teach pupils about a variety of issues. But that's all they are; a tool, amongst many. Sometimes they're the wrong tool, like using a screwdriver when a mallet is needed. And whenever we use the wrong tool for a job, we run the risk of doing damage. <br /><br />I want students to study music, english, maths etc, because these things are intrinsically important in themselves, not simply because of the external rewards they can bring. Tenacity, ambition and camaraderie can all be achieved without making a game out of them.And I don't want to teach children that what we teach them is simply a means to some other more obscure end, any more than the point of playing Angry Birds or Halo is simply to finish it- you may as well just drop in some cheat codes and see the final screen. <br /><br />The beauty lies in playing; that's the joy, that's the pleasure- learning how to improve, and seeing it happen. Not just winning. Life's not like that.Tom Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-75402588561724593122011-05-10T17:23:11.642+01:002011-05-10T17:23:11.642+01:00But their boss/employer may notice them if they go...But their boss/employer may notice them if they go above and beyond the other drones.<br /><br />Such as helping the lady across the street and then offering to carry her groceries the rest of the way. I am sure she would say thank you.<br /><br />We do things we because we are nice and we continue to do them because other people are nice in return. <br /><br />We reward people that go above and beyond the call of duty. They have to stand out and I believe that doing this in education prepares them for the real world.<br /><br />And no, I may not care about the right tie they wear, but I would care if they stayed at work all night to help their department finish their presentation or figured out a way to save me and my business money. I would especially care if they failed to solve a problem efficiently or effectively and tackled it again and again until they were successful. These are qualities that games help to develop in our youth, problem solving skills, tenacity, competitiveness, camaraderie, and a sense of accomplishment.<br /><br />These are skills I am definitely trying to instill in my students.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-52016237425718377662011-04-10T19:43:58.381+01:002011-04-10T19:43:58.381+01:00If we link attainment to external rewards, then li...If we link attainment to external rewards, then like disappointed Beagles denied their Lucky Strikes, they might start to think that the whole point of education is to win an iPod, and if that doesn't happen then why should they bother? For one thing, I'm running out of iPods.<br /><br />Which would be a pity, because a decade and a half of free education might be seen by some people in some countries as a reward in itself. We shouldn't be teaching children to expect a sugar drop every time they do something desirable, because outside of the school bubble, nobody on the pavement outside will give a monkeys if they turn up to work on time, or wear the right tie. They'll notice when they don't. Prepare them for the world, I says, not Second Life.Tom Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-19194880604142028922011-03-27T16:18:29.333+01:002011-03-27T16:18:29.333+01:00We have to separate the idealistic (everyone actin...We have to separate the idealistic (everyone acting selflessly) from the realistic (the way we actually behave). Doing everything for the common good doesn't work unfortunately. The fact is that we are ego-driven and seek status, etc. Extrinsic rewards (eg. BMW) reflect intrinsic egoistic desires (status). Why don't most people donate anonymously?Willhttp://onlineguitarcoaching.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-42777364138596003302011-01-10T19:14:33.332+00:002011-01-10T19:14:33.332+00:00Aw, they're only the guardians of the first ro...Aw, they're only the guardians of the first round; the real Bowsers are at the Ministry of Funny Teaching...Tom Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-21296598927684124632011-01-09T20:26:56.358+00:002011-01-09T20:26:56.358+00:00"There are no Level Bosses to bash in life.&q..."There are no Level Bosses to bash in life."<br /><br />Not even SMT?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com