Giving Compass' Take:

•  Sean Arnold, writing for EdSurge, discusses how utilizing the computer game Minecraft is a successful way for his students with autism to engage with design thinking principles. 

• What other types of games are effective in the classroom setting? What makes gamifying the learning process successful for students?  

• Read about how video games in the classroom can function as engagement tools.  

I find it baffling that in 2019 I still have to explain why it’s important to play with students, especially when Fortune 500 companies are gamifying their workplace and their customer outreach, profitable gamer-culture on YouTube is on the rise and colleges have eSports teams.

It’s even more baffling when you acknowledge that throughout history, renowned philosophers and educators—including Plato, Comenius, Locke, Rousseau, Froebel, Piaget, and Papert—have lauded the power of play in teaching, especially for young learners.

Modern research has continued to demonstrate that playful learning improves educational outcomes, even more so when it’s digital and multi-modal. I’ve certainly found that to be true in my years teaching non-traditional learners.

Despite popular myth, games actually discourage negative behaviors, benefit mental health and improve social skills. Of course, not all games are created equal. Certain elements are consistently present in quality games and quality learning tools.

For these reasons and others, I have long sought to use games, both analog and digital, to instruct my classes filled with students who are non-traditional learners, many of them with autism. Not only do games bring learning to my students in ways that are unobtainable in direct instruction, but they also promote social connections through play and reinforce the development of 21st-century skills.

I learned about Minecraft when I overheard students expressing excitement about playing it outside of school. I decided to check it out for myself. I didn’t really understand it at first, but it seemed like a good way to begin teaching some of the design principles I modeled in my classes.

So it began as STEM design challenges for my older, more adept students. Soon though, I realized it could be used for much more.

Read the full article about using Minecraft to teach students with autism by Sean Arnold at EdSurge