The Dilemma
November 27th, 2006 by trottahe
While on Thanksgiving vacation, I continued reading Gee’s book to look for answers in how to design alternative learning spaces (virtual worlds) to enhance learning. In chapter 5, Gee continues exploring the concept of conceptual information. Humans are quite poor at remembering information that is given to them outside of the context in which it is going to be used. Only if they are knowledgeable in an area they can tie the information back to previous experience in their minds as they read or hear the information. On the other hand, as Gee points out, humans don’t learn complex concepts that they know little about on their own. They can not discover everything for themselves. Frustration results … so as we can see, humans need complex information in context (i.e. immersion) yet the information needs to be guided. A balance needs to be drawn between the two, something that I am not sure we do well, even in higher education.
Gee continues to use Laura Croft in Tomb Raiders: The Last Revelation as an example. Personally, I’m a Laura Croft movie fan, however, Gee was interested in the video game series. What I found so interesting in this game was that the player begins to take on the identity of the character as a result of being rewarded for doing so. As the game levels increase, the player becomes more confident and adventurous, taking risks in exploration, leaving behind hesitations and fears. The first couple games are centered on providing the skills necessary for the remaining units.
Situations such as this, always remind me of schools like Northeastern and Drexel that give students experiential learning opportunities early in their college career. There is much to be said for this philosophy. It is evident that most students need direction and guidance however; I find this concept of taking on aspects of an identity through immersion and reward interesting. Wouldn’t it be amazing if students could take on the identity of a seeker of knowledge though being in a guided environment, rewarded for taking calculated risks? I’m not sure we do this well in the usual college classroom today … I think we try, yet we come up short … we need a holodeck.
