Brave Learner Home: Video Games and Education
Ah the big bugaboo: Video Games!
- Should we regulate them? Allow them? Play them with our kids?
- Do they have any educational bang for their buck at all?
- How can I know if the research I read about them is reliable?
In other words: HELP!
We get these questions every single day—video games rank as the most frequently asked question in education circles. To that end, we’re going to help you gain confidence and skill in handling this delicate topic with your kids!
Video Games and Education
Teachers and parents often look for innovative ways to keep students and kids motivated and engaged.
Amazingly, video gaming is automatically good at both.
Gamers know firsthand how elements of video games can keep them riveted and motivated for hours.
- But are all games created equal?
- What makes a “good” game for learning?
- Are there any negative effects?
- How do we take the motivating elements of gaming and add them to education environments?
Join us in Brave Learner Home as Ash Brandin, a public school teacher who uses video games as a learning tool, investigates some simple yet effective ways to take tips from video gameplay and turn it into best teaching practices, without gimmicks.
Ash Brandin, EdS, is a middle school teacher in Boulder Valley School District in Boulder, Colorado. Since 2016, Ash has spoken across the country about how academic spaces can mimic game structures to make learning compelling, motivating, and engaging. They believe games, specifically entertainment-based games, can help us create better teaching, more engaged learning, increased empathy, more inclusive classrooms, and motivated lifelong learners.
A lifelong Coloradan, Ash got their start in education as an orchestra director in grades 5-12. After several years in the orchestra classroom, Ash wanted a way for their students to feel more comfortable to make mistakes and increase their musical skills.
After brunch and brainstorming, Ash successfully implemented gaming principles into orchestra, social studies, and math classrooms, both in-person and virtually.
Their expertise has been a vital source of encouragement to thousands of families, including our Brave Writer community!
