Active Game-Based Learning
Post submitted by Andrew Miller, an international consultant who works independently and for groups such as the Buck Institute for Education and Abeo School Change (formally known as the Small Schools Project). He has taught both online and in the brick-and-mortar setting, incorporating his core tenets of culturally responsive teaching, project-based learning, and game-based learning. Connect with Miller on Twitter @betamiller.
OK, so I am a gamer. Not that I have the time anymore, but I do venture now and again into a game, whether a first-person shooter (FPS) or role-playing video game (RPG). I am also a big promoter of Game-Based Learning (GBL) and Gamification. To clarify, GBL is when games are used to balance the learning of subject matter through gameplay with specific learning outcomes in mind. Gamification is applying the concepts of game design to learning to engage in problem solving. Again both are geared toward building student engagement and learning important content. GBL is one method that creates not only a great opportunity to engage students in content, but also keep them active.
Brain-based learning research tells us that being active in and around rigorous learning can help keep students