Call me juvenile, but I agree with Miriam Cherry at Concurring Opinions that more professors should use gaming in the classroom. Not only does it help students learn, but it keeps them engaged in the class and makes the memorization part of learning (which is unavoidable in law school) a lot easier.
The most important aspect of gaming in the classroom is that it makes learning fun. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but compare the number of times you got excited about playing Number Munchers or Bingo in elementary school versus the number of times you were excited about practicing your multiplication tables with no gaming angle. As Cherry describes, “If work is meaningless, or unfocused, it can become drudgery. Turn it into a contest, and those same tasks that were earlier a drag can become downright fun.”
I would probably have a greater understanding of Constitutional Law if Wii came out with a new game on the subject.
There are limitations to gaming in the classroom as a learning tool. The most complex ideas in the law are probably out of the reach of a game of Jeopardy. If the games become too competitive some students may check out (though most law students are competitive and would probably get really invested — this is a sort of scary thought). There is also a danger of over simplifying the concepts being taught in order to fit them on a Jeopardy card. Still, as a former high school teacher and current student, I know there is a great pedagogical value in it, and I would love to see more gaming in the classroom.
Comments