Literacy Now

On the Advanced Placement (AP) English literature test, one question allows the test taker to choose a novel or play of literary merit and respond to the prompt, using the selected text as the support material. When helping my students, I told them they should never use texts such as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Why not? Because such books use magic to solve human problems, and magic is not available to mere mortals.

For teachers who are unfamiliar, learning science sometimes seems like magic beyond the resources of mere mortal teachers. Just as the characters in the classics have to deal with real-life problems, mere mortal teachers struggle to deal with human problems that real students have such as poverty, lack of technology, and zero Wi-Fi access. Learning scientists seem to be outside of the struggle and are like wizards practicing magic with brand potions like advanced computing technologies and spells using academic jargon in enchanted faraway places with uninterrupted Wi-Fi connection known as colleges and universities.

I remember learning about the educational theories of B.F. Skinner, John Dewey, and even Lev Vygotsky as a first-year teacher candidate. I remember discussing with my future colleagues, who often thought it was a waste of time for all of us to read the theories. Now, after having taught high school English for more than a decade in a school district where the majority of students receive Title I federal funding, I believe a little bit of a true and practical magical ingredient known as “learning science” might just be what teachers truly need to understand the pedagogy behind our practices. When I say magic, I don’t mean the hocus-pocus variety that will fix all problems for teachers—I mean the magic that all of us can bring to the classroom to make learning impactful and powerful, by understanding what makes our practical strategies effective.

For example, Harry Potter learned to use the power of magic and became a hero through his unwavering grit, a concept which Angela Lee Duckworth, Christopher Peterson, Michael D. Matthews, and Dennis R. Kelly described in “Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals.” In addition to his deep friendship with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry received help from more knowledgeable others including his professors as he worked to overcome obstacles, and his countless hours of magic training was created by his professors’ understanding of zone of proximal development, not unlike what Vygotsky wrote in Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes.

In my own classroom, I began requiring my students to write daily reflections after learning about the importance of metacognition and its impact on academic writing skills development that Arthur N. Applebee wrote about with Judith A. Langer and on his own, as did John H. Flavell.

Of course, Harry encountered false or pseudo magic, as teachers are sometimes led astray. Take learning styles, for example. Many educators have been told learners have different learning styles, and our job is to differentiate our instruction to target these learning styles when teaching. Despite numerous and strenuous repudiation by respected learning scientists (as seen in this video created by Smithsonian Science Education Center and in this article by Olivia Goldhill for Quartz), teachers are still being told that we must adapt our lessons on the basis of false information.

Where is Professor Snape when we need him to set everyone straight?

I am sure that in a learning science course for teachers, he would tell teachers to learn about the Universal Design for Learning framework and ditch learning styles forever!

If you are a teacher, you might wish for that one book of spells that would teach us to become true wizards of teaching. The truth is that we simply don’t have it. As a matter of fact, we have too many resources that promise a quick solution to all educational ills.  And many such books do not provide the necessary information based on strong learning sciences principles. So how will we know the truth? Remember Harry? Despite being born a wizard, Harry needed to attend a school to hone his magical abilities. Teachers need similar support from reputable learning scientists. There are also a few books that teachers should read. One such book is How People Learn (downloadable for free here) that provides basic learning science information to anyone interested in learning, which should be the focus of good teaching.

Learning is a complex endeavor. All of us in learning and education need to be mindful of real human issues that teachers face, so that all teachers have the right type of support. By working together, we can create magic more powerful than Harry could ever achieve!

Kip Glazer is a native of Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the United States in 1993 as a college student. She holds California Single Subject Teaching Credentials in Social Studies, English, Health, Foundational Mathematics, and School Administration. In 2014, she was named the Kern County Teacher of the Year. She earned her doctorate of education in learning technologies at Pepperdine University in October 2015. She has presented and keynoted at many state and national conferences on game-based learning and educational technologies. She has also consulted for Center for Innovative Research in Cyberlearning and the Kennedy Center ArtsEdge Program.

Integrating technology into instruction can be an overwhelming task for classroom teachers. How do new digital technologies fit with what I am currently doing? How do I add one more thing to an already overcrowded day? How do I make the best choices? What does technology have to do with literacy anyway? These are just some of the many questions facing classroom teachers today that can lead to resistance in adapting technology for literacy and learning.

The teachers at Benchmark School had these concerns. We knew technology was important for preparing our students to be successful literacy learners, but we had more questions than answers. Benchmark School is a small, independent school for students in grades 1–8 who have challenges with how they process language or have experienced a mismatch in how they learn related to how they have been instructed. A few years ago, the school took on the challenge of equipping its teachers and students to leverage the power of technology and develop a framework for technology integration.

There are many resources that provide direction for technology integration. The Benchmark community examined a number of these:

1. International Society for Technology in Education Student Standards
2. Manitoba Literacy with ICT Continuum
3. NCTE Framework for 21st Century Curriculum and Assessment
4. Mozilla Web Literacy Map
5. Common Sense Media K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum

As we explored each of these resources, we reflected on how they matched the instructional philosophy of the school. We also consulted with leading literacy researchers with interest in technology, including Julie Coiro and Jill Castek, for feedback and direction.

Out of our reflections and discussions developed the Benchmark School Framework for Technology Integration. The framework covers five key areas:

1. Online Research and Reading Comprehension
2. Communication & Collaboration
3. Problem Solving & Creative Innovation
4. Digital Citizenship
5. Strategic and Efficient Use of Technology

For each of these key areas, we developed a rationale and list of student standards.

After completing work on the framework, we felt that it was important to develop a version of the framework that was student-friendly and could be used by teachers in instruction and to cue students to implement what they have been learning. The five key areas from the framework were posed as questions:

1. What are my strategies for reading and researching online?
2. What strategies can I use to work well with others online?
3. How do I use technology to creatively think about and solve problems?
4. What strategies can I use to be safe and respect the privacy of others and myself?
5. What strategies do I have to be an effective, efficient, and strategic user of technology?

Each of the key questions was broken down into more focused questions to help students (and teachers) understand various aspects of the key questions. Finally, a poster was developed to display in classrooms so that the questions would be visible to all and to serve as a constant reminder for the strategic and efficient uses of technology.

Once the framework and poster were complete, we determined a process for implementation of the framework. We began by asking teachers to focus on one question, “What strategies can I use to be safe and respect the privacy of others and myself?” The next year, we expanded to another question to build on the previous year’s work. Once teachers are familiar with the five key areas and have developed classroom lessons, we hope they will focus on all five throughout the school year.

First and foremost, we learned that technology integration is not an “add on.” Technology helps us to achieve our goal of developing more strategic and effective learners. Second, it was helpful to have a conversation about the role of technology for our students. The most important aspect was taking the ideas of others and adapting them to the particular needs of our school and its students. Each school, to effectively leverage the power of technology for literacy and learning, would benefit from a similar discussion. As a literacy community, we all will benefit if we seek ways to share the frameworks we develop and build on each other’s work to meet the needs of our particular communities. As the framework states, collaboration is a key strategy for our digital world.

Eric MacDonald teaches in the middle school at Benchmark School in Media, PA.

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).

Sometimes called “affordances,” the digital world offers advantages to students. Teachers’ repertoires today likely include Twitter, Glog, Kahoot!, Prezi, TED Talks, LiveBinder, podcasts, Animoto, screencasting, and blogging. These and other platforms infuse ways for students to become better readers of their worlds through nuanced textual interactions, inquiry, analytical thinking, and composing, with a number of skill sets developed in a number of ways.

Textual interactions

Online tools transform students into text detectives who have fun while hunting for clues. Start with quickly paced e-learning modules pointing to key evidence; primary sources offer a wealth of possibilities. A Civil War–era journal entry, sheet music from the Roaring ‘20s, a dairy-free World War II cake recipe, or Civil Rights protest photo can spur conversations and engagement, and each can be accessed digitally. Alternatively, daily digital newspapers and blogs allow students to explore modern local and global perspectives. E-readers and audiobooks bring professional narration to combined reading and listening experiences. Digital book chats, online student book reviews, or one book/one school programs can foster a school community through common literary experiences.

Student inquiry

E-learning centers immerse students in appropriately challenging investigations. Online design tasks might include image-based visualizations that spur language acquisition. Vocabulary games, multilevel or multitiered questioning, close reading wikis, or online discussion boards introduce new concepts. Moreover, social justice simulations can unveil lives that have been affected by race, class, language, gender, or religious difference. Further, a curation tool like Storify can help students to develop critical perspectives and to become more curious about others who don’t fit their own community’s definition of “normal.”

Analytical thinking

Do science and English collaborations seem a bit avant-garde? Scientific texts can fulfill various English and literature standards through readings available at National Geographic, NORAD, NASA, Sierra Club, and Nature Conservancy websites. Follow up with a computer lab gallery walk, cartoon slideshow, TED Talk about study skills, sports podcast to spur argumentation, or celebrity media evaluation. Add in online guided questions, dictionaries, and translation tools to help struggling readers. Visual texts are important in our symbol-based society, so digital classic works of art, stylized comics, minimalistic advertisements, and short films can be “read” as balanced, integrated elements.

Composing

Infuse background and context into writing-to-learn activities then let students blog! Because blogging is a reflection of identity, student bloggers gain insights into the human side of composing; they discern the complex interplay of words and ideas for an audience, making sense through print, sound, images, and videos. Digital photography can also bring personalization and purpose to the writing process. And don’t forget how fan fiction creates an outlet for imaginative mediation of the demands of audience and genre.

Ultimately, the richness of the digital world resonates with students, for, as W. Somerset Maugham said, “The only important thing in a book is the meaning that it has for you.”

Carolyn Fortuna, PhD, is the recipient of the International Literacy Association’s 2015 Award for Technology and Reading. She teaches high school English in Franklin, MA, and is an adjunct faculty member at Rhode Island College.

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).

There are many games students love to play, and in his book What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy James Paul Gee reviews 36 learning principles found in games. Gee argues that good games captivate gamers’ attention and teach them how to play in an efficient way. In addition, he suggests the positive aspects of games in learning environments can empower students by engaging them as agents and making them feel like what they do matters.

To promote deep learning, Gee proposes that games should incorporate problem-based learning approaches emphasizing customization as an integral practice. To customize education means to consider there is not just one way to solve a problem. Accordingly, in school, learners should have the freedom to choose strategies they think will work in a particular situation. Customization also respects that students bring different skills and learning styles to each situation, as Howard Gardner proposes in his studies of multiple intelligence. Thus, students should be seen as agents who control their learning environment and learn by having both their bodies and minds fully engaged in the learning process.

A second principle of video games Gee proposes is that games require students to not only acquire information, but also learn how to use information to solve a problem. Moreover, Gee argues, students value and most efficiently learn information they use to solve a problem (on demand). Connecting meaning and learning how to apply knowledge in different situations can promote deep understanding and learning that endures. Associating meaning with actions, for instance, or information to specific practices, typically leads to deep understanding.

Third, games can make students feel challenged because they need to exert a great deal of effort to solve problems. Following that principle, challenging problems (not impossible ones!) help students become involved in generating strategies to accomplish the tasks. We also learn from games that accomplishing challenging tasks involves repeated practice. Notably, new tasks need to follow to help students generate different strategies to solve different kinds of problems.

In order for problem-solving approaches to be as successful as those in a gaming environment, Gee says, they should be sequenced from easier and less complex to harder and more complex. For example, instead of introducing students to an incredibly complex situation all at once, consider how to sequence parts of the problem in a leveled fashion, slowly adding elements to raise the complexity of the task.

Because of their rich and efficient way to teach and to gain students’ attention, Gee argues that games could—and should—be used in schools to help students learn new content as well as learn how to learn. Students should think critically while participating in games. Teachers can use games as a springboard for many activities such as teaching about facts and concepts and to improve students’ skills of writing, reading, and thinking.

Tom and Jerry in Rig a Bridge, for example, is a thought-provoking game that helps students consider and apply key principles of physics, including balance, reaction, traction, and sustainability, among others. Jerry, the mouse, is starving, but Tom, the cat, is anxiously waiting for him in the kitchen. Players need to build bridges using materials like matchsticks, rubber bands, and paper clips to help Jerry reach the cheese without being caught by Tom. In addition to game playing, the teacher can challenge students to build a manual or tutorial designed to help other players accomplish some levels of the game, or to describe in writing mistakes made while playing the game, why the bridge fell, and what they should have done instead to better support it.

Many other games like this one are available for free online. Playing them while discussing mistakes, problems, and solutions as well as exploring the game to raise problems and apply the knowledge to other similar contexts (What if instead of matchsticks, rubber bands, and paper clips, players used other materials?) and real-life circumstances can be interesting activities for students to enjoy and learn a lot from.

James Paul Gee presents and explains some of the main principles of gaming here. As a bonus, Gee outlines why video games make for better assessments than the high-stakes testing in this podcast.

“Honestly, I don’t see the point of games in the classroom. I mean, it seems to overly focus on the idea of fun, and I don’t think fun is what we should focus on. Fun is seriously overrated,” I said on the first day of my games for education class. Little did I know that I would go on to write my dissertation on role-playing games, write not one but two book chapters on how to assist teachers in bringing games into their classroom, and even consult on a project for the Kennedy Center ArtsEdge on its game-­based learning project.*

Games have become one of the hottest topics in education of late. Just look at Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Minecraft and the launch of MinecraftEdu! Popular education blog site Edutopia has game­-based learning as one of its major categories with numerous views and shares. The prominence of games for education became apparent when games scholar Constance Steinkuehler began serving as the Senior Policy Analyst for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in 2011. There are more than 4 million views on Jane McGonigal’s TED talk advocating how games can save the world. However, many educators are still not quite sure how playing games can help their students. I suggest you keep the following in mind before you pick up that game for your classroom.

A game is a tool, not the tool

As much as I think games can be extremely useful, I caution against advocating for games as the panacea for all educational ills. According to the OSTP, roughly 170 million Americans play video games. However, if you look more deeply into the numbers, you will see 49% of those who play games are between ages 18–49, well beyond school age. Average age of gamers is 34 years old.

True, game­-based learning allows students to learn many valuable skills such as negotiating complex systems while developing various literacy skills. Great games are now being compared to great literature. However, just as an amazing Shakespearean play alone can’t make students become better readers, great games alone cannot teach our students. I suggest incorporating great games into your classroom ecosystem to maximize the learning potential.

The right game for the right learning task—expansively

Because a game is a tool, it must be chosen for specific learning tasks. As an English teacher, I was lucky to be able to improve media literacy or literacy in general with any game I chose. What game doesn’t have reading and writing? Let’s take Disaster Detector, a science game developed for sixth through eighth graders by Smithsonian Science Education Center in collaboration with Filament Games.

I would use that game to have my students research disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath and the type of governmental organizations responsible for different disasters. Then I would have students go through the tutorial section to take notes on the types of instruments such organizations and their scientists use. I would also have students critique the presentation. Did they think that the voice actor had the right look and tone of the target audience? Did they like the sound effects? If so, what about them was appealing? Then I would have students contact the creator of Disaster Detector—who happens to be one of my friends—to ask the process of developing such a game. Students then create a plan for a potential natural disaster that their hometown faces. They will write to the mayor or the governor, urging him or her to take their ideas into consideration. Finally, students research the type of education necessary to become a meteorologist or environmental scientist who we rely on to help us weather the disasters.

Opportunity cost and specific learning objectives built around the play

As much as I love game­-based learning, gameplay without a skilled instructor who can guide student learning is giving up something in the curriculum for the sake of time. One of the most amazing aspects of games is that it encourages voluntary participation of the players because they are “fun” to play.

As a classroom teacher, I often talk to my students about the idea of fun at school. I emphasized that learning new information can be more fun than simply killing a whole bunch of zombies while playing a popular strategy game like Plants vs. Zombies. If you were to play this game with your students, I suggest you discuss the specific strategies involved in winning the game with them. Encourage students to think of ways a great strategist would think about defeating an enemy. Have them research great battles in history and the strategies the winning side employed to achieve its objectives.

Consider allowing students to play in group and have them discuss how they could collaborate to win the game. At times, my students would complain that I ruined their mindless fun. I would explain to students that the State of California and their parents hired me to provide the structure for learning and expected me to teach them something. I feel that it’s our responsibility to expose the accidental learning to the students as “the more knowledgeable other,” a term coined by famous learning theorist Lev Vygotsky. 

Game creation beyond game playing

Although I think that games offer amazing educational benefits, I am convinced that creating games yields much better outcomes. While designing games, students learn to create, organize, and execute their plans. They have to think about aesthetics, rules, and appeal to audience. If students are designing digital games, they can learn digital and media literacy skills. Because of the increased popularity of game-­based learning, teachers now have many tools to choose from. One of my favorite tools is Twine, a text-­based choose-­your-­own-­adventure game creator. This simple platform allowed many of my students to create complex and multi-layered games.

Some students created an adventure game based on a creature’s birth. Others created a game of high school choices to guide their friends through high school years. Because they can publish and test each other’s games, students are invested in creating interesting and playable games. I typically had students create a planning document with a storyboard and rationale for the game first. Once students created their games, I had them create a video presentation using a tool like SnagIt. Such an activity forced the students to defend their choices while practicing their virtual presentation skills. I knew this was a great instructional practice when I recently ran into a former student. While in my class, he complained often that he had to record his presentation. However, he informed me that he no longer feared presenting to anyone because it became natural to him. He also appreciated the fact that he routinely evaluated his classmates’ work while receiving feedback from them during class.

I cannot stress enough of the benefits of game creation as an instructional strategy. For more tools on game making, check out the list I put together along with a few student video examples I presented at the 2016 Good Teaching Conference sponsored by California Teachers Association.

Game­based learning is here to stay

As much as I didn’t realize it, game­based learning is here to stay. I suspect it will become as common and ubiquitous as YouTube videos in the classroom in the near future. I sincerely hope that the teachers realize its learning potential when used appropriately.

* This project is ongoing, set for a workshop at Kern High School District in Bakersfield in April and May of 2016 with a group of theatre, science, and English teachers to test out the pedagogical framework I developed for my dissertation study.

Kip Glazer is a native of Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the United States in 1993 as a college student. She holds California Single Subject Teaching Credentials in Social Studies, English, Health, Foundational Mathematics, and School Administration. In 2014, she was named the Kern County Teacher of the Year. She earned her doctorate of education in learning technologies at Pepperdine University in October 2015. She has presented and keynoted at many state and national conferences on game-based learning and educational technologies. She has also consulted for Center for Innovative Research in Cyberlearning and the Kennedy Center ArtsEdge Program.