Using video-game based lessons has its obvious differences from teaching with a textbook. But researcher James Gee recently looked past the digital facade of the video game to see what video games can teach us about the educational process.

Gee first looked at the process in which games are designed and how players interact with it. It’s the game-design company’s job to make a game that can be learned quickly and thoroughly. If the player doesn’t get it, they’re going to return it.

Gee compares this mentality with what most think about textbooks.

1. In school, information is given to students whether they want it or not.
2. You won’t need 500 pages worth of information until you finish, but by the time you get to the end you can’t remember what information was on page 2.

In a game, players get thrown in before they know all the rules or understand the territory. “Games are based on performance before competence,” says Gee. An example of this that he provides is a game that requires students to memorize 350 codes. If the students were given this task in school, they would be asked to memorize all 350 codes. With a game, the students used the codes so many times that they learned them all by the end of the game.

Another change in the educational process when compared with textbooks is that once the student has finished the game, there is no need to be tested. If they got to the end, they’ve already proven they understand and mastered the task.

Do you use video games to teach concepts in your class? Would you? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Click here to read the Hechinger Report article, “What video games can teach us about the educational process.”

Obesity is widely recognized as being a health issue that can lead to fatal health concerns like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, depression, osteoarthritis, sleep disorders and certain cancers. But new research by The BODY Project (Banishing Obesity and Diabetes in Youth) shows obesity has a negative effect on brain functioning, as well.

Results from studies performed by The BODY Project show obese youth have problems with reading, arithmetic, memory, attention, and decision-making. In U.S. schools, 40 percent of students in public high schools are obese. Dr. Lloyd Sederer, Medical Director of New York State Office of Mental Health, believes there is an obvious correlation between an increase in overweight youth and declining standardized test scores.

The BODY Project is working with a selection of New York City high schools to help students understand the responsibility they have for their health and education. The students have their height and weight measured to determine their body mass index (BMI), and those with high BMIs are selected for the program to learn about the dangers of obesity and practical ways to get them healthy. The report gives the students their results on a scale that is represented by three colors: green for good, amber as a warning, and red for bad. If the student lands in the amber or red, their entire family will be contacted and instructed on simple lifestyle changes they can make to improve the family’s health.

To read the entire article go to www.huffingtonpost.com where you can also watch a short video of The BODY Project in action.

Much attention has been given to finding more effective ways to increase student proficiency in science over the last few years. A common belief has been to make improvements in this area through teacher training and science curriculum, but budget cuts along with new research are having educators and parents looking to science programs offered outside of the classroom to increase students’ understanding of science.

In a recent EdWeek article, “Role of Science Learning Outside of School Grows,” writer Erik Robelen discusses how the study “Learning Science in Informal Environments” by the National Research Council is paving the way by discovering the value of students getting involved in non-school programs. Most of students’ time is spent outside of school which lends a great opportunity for more learning to take place and in an environment free from grades and testing.

It’s popular for Americans to think of learning in terms of how well students did on a standardized test. Advocates for non-school learning are supporting these recent studies by arguing the learning students receive outside the classroom gauges scientific skills and understanding in ways that are more appropriate to a variety of settings and gives the learner more confidence in identifying themselves as someone who is knowledgable about science.

“If we allow the things that are easy to measure in school districts as the only definitions of learning we’re going to consider, we are leaving off the table an awful lot of things,” said Kevin J. Crowley, the director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments and an associate professor of education and psychology. “We need to have compelling, theory-based, reliable measures, and we’re just beginning to chip away at that right now.”

Some examples of non-school activities that you and your student can get involved in to boost scientific understanding are:

• the zoo
• the aquarium
• museums
• watching scientific television shows
• after-school programs
• science magazines
• astronomy and robotics clubs
• the internet

Getting students involved in and excited about educational programs outside of the classroom establishes the behavior for them to become lifelong learners. What resources do you use to get your students involved in science? Do you have a student that seeks out scientific information independently? Share in the comment box below.

There are two critical developmental stages during middle school. One is emotional development, or the “people smarts” to read people, situations, and manage one’s own emotions. A recent study involving over 20,000 students from all walks of life, found students made significant academic improvement when involved in a school-based social and emotional learning program compared to those who were not.

The other stage is finding your passions and interests. When students don’t develop a strong sense of something they are good at by middle school, it’s harder for them to persevere when confronted with weaknesses. Students who identify their strengths and weaknesses at an early age have an easier time connecting their gifts and talents to future decisions, like what extracurricular high school activities to be involved in, which college to attend, and which career path to take.

Parents and teachers can expose middle schoolers to the high school environment in a variety of ways before their first day of freshman year. Show your students what’s happening in the community and inspire them to be active in high school by introducing them to the events and activities put on in your school district. The following is a list of some of the many events high schools host that middle school students can attend :

• Band/orchestra/choir concert
• Theater production
• Talent show
• Speech and debate tournament
• Sports events
• Mentor program

Giving students a sense of community and exposing them to all their choices can motivate them to take advantage of these choices they might not have ever known about. If you’d like to learn more about getting middle school students prepared for high school, LifeBound’s books PEOPLE SMARTS FOR TEENAGERS and GIFTS AND TALENTS FOR TEENAGERS can help students get the self-knowledge and self-management skills they need for a successful transition to high school and beyond.