Not a Gamer, but I'm Game

September 30, 2010
Just read an article sent my way from a colleague (thanks Beth) and felt the need to process it here. It talked about a middle school using video games in the classroom to develop digital literacy and problem solving skills. Since I’m not a gamer, I honestly didn’t know much of the lingo being used, but this statement got me nodding my head: “. . .there is a way to make learning feel simultaneously more relevant to students and more connected to the world beyond school.” I decided to look at my upcoming lesson plans through this lens. I realized that as an Academic Resource Teacher I am constantly striving to make my lessons relevant, but only to what the girls need to be successful in school. That’s my job, right? Get those “struggling students” to “keep up”?

I need to strive for a higher purpose in my teaching. I’m missing that REALLY vital ingredient of making what they do in my classroom relevant to THEIR WORLD outside of this building. If what they learn from me merely focuses on school achievement, I haven’t done my job. Furthermore, I have perpetuated the faulty message that learning is limited to these four walls in order to be “successful” according to the standards of the institution. I want more from my students and they deserve more from me.