Contrasting Cultural Models about Learning
An important distinction between school tasks and games lies in the way schools think about learning as opposed to how gamers think about learning.
In the cultural model that structures schools, the learner is still very much a passive agent. As a form of knowledge transmission, the student is a novice listener that receives knowled ge from the expert teacher. In this model, there is only one way to achieve success and that is following the instructions of the teacher and staying "on task."
In contrast, gaming communities view learning as social negotiation and active participation. In this model, learning happens through direct experimentation and its refinement takes place as players discuss and negotiate the meaning of games with other players. This participatory model of learning has been put forth by a number of scholars and authorities as facilitating the kinds of learning skills our children will need to succeed in the 21st century economy (Jenkins, Clinton, Purushotma, Robison, Weigel, 2006).
Games as Third Space
Critical questions asked by educators interested in the potential of games to improve the way we teach and learn in schools are:
- How can the participatory models of learning take place in communities of gamers?
- More importantly, perhaps, is how can we bring this model, either in full or in part, into today’s schools?
Traditionally the types of learning that take place inside and outside of schools have not had much to say to each other.
Inside schools, the communities that students participate in that are labeled as "informal learning environments" are typically seen as less rigorous and, therefore, less prestigious than the purely traditional academic communities inside schools. Education has also had a history of avoiding the use of communication technologies and games in the classroom as elements that distract students and keep them from being "on task."
However, in recent years, a movement has begun to grow among educators who, recognizing the wide dissemination of video games in youth culture, would rather understand the impact that games have on children and to use games for their benefit rather than ban them outright. Therefore, games have become a third space: a bridge between the traditional culture of schools and the informal culture of home as their benefits are gradually being identified.