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By Dr. Harry Tennant
Friday, October 21, 2011 The goal of education is not knowing, it's doingI got into a discussion the other day with a friend about whether computer games had a role in the education of children. It started from a suggestion that games show through example the benefits of goal setting, making incremental progress, seeing setbacks as learning experiences and, most important of all, perseverance. On the down side, games don't teach useful knowledge or skills. So, are they a waste of time? I don't know the answer to that. However, the discussion did get me thinking about what education is for. I'm pretty sure that knowledge and understanding isn't it. Knowledge and understanding is only an enabler for something more important: action. If the goal is action, maybe games are worthwhile. Educated or not, some of the most common failings I see are procrastination and lack of persistence...in other words, the strength of will to do the things one has expressed a desire to do. If games really do teach persistence and if that learning transfers to domains beyond games, then they would be well worth the time kids spend on them.Posted at 4:53 PM 0 Comments |