In this Finding Your Science video from the National Science Foundation Arizona State University linguist James Paul Gee discusses how schools kill the joy of learning and how video games can bring it back to life.
James Gee is a strong supporter of learning through interaction. He believes that learning is one of life's foremost joys, much like eating or sex. Human beings have a passion for learning, and it is a passion that is stifled by learning institutions that expect students to sit passively and absorb the information given them.
That sort of teaching process was a reason I did not do well in school. Teachers were giving me information and telling me, "This is what you do," instead of putting me in a situation and asking me, "What do you do?"
That's what video games do. Games put players in a situation, give them the necessary information and tools they need to achieve their goals, and let them run free. Failure is an option, but so is creative thinking.
Thanks to Friedrich for sharing this clip with us.