Sasha A. Barab and his collaborators do an excellent job of summarizing the underlying principles beneath the design and implementation of Quest Atlantis, the wonderfully engaging 3D Virtual World(s) I will be introducing to my lucky 4th graders in a very few weeks. Last year's 4th graders got the bum's rush, in a way, not getting "inworld" until late February. I'm hoping for a more intentional and informed experience for all of us this year.
The concept of Transformational Play is key. Say the authors:
Our virtual quests expand on strategiesassociated with project-basedcurriculums. We focus on buildinggame-based learning environments inwhich students play an important role,using academic knowledge to makedecisions that influence, for better orworse, the designed storyline. Thus,these virtual spaces transform learnersin three ways: (1) they transform aperson from a passive recipient to anempowered actor, (2) they transformcontent from information that thelearner has to remember to a tool thatthe learner can use to accomplishdesired ends, and (3) they transformcontext from an assurance that "thisknowledge will be relevant in thefuture" to a present reality that respondsto the learner's actions.
They even cite some strong research findings that support the contention that this kind of instruction (more like "guidance") yields better results than traditional delivery of the same science content. Yay, I say, just the sort of research we need more of.
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