Table Of Content80
How are expert educators using games in their classrooms to give students
agency, while also teaching twenty-fi rst century skills, like empathy, systems think-
F
ing, and design thinking? This question has motivated Matthew Farber’s Game- A
Based Learning in Action: How an Expert Affi nity Group Teaches With Games R
B
showcasing how one affi nity group of K12 educators—known as “The Tribe”—
E
teaches with games. They are transformational leaders outside the classroom, in R
communities of practice. They mentor and lead newcomers to game-based learn-
ing, as well as advise game developers, academics, and policymakers.
Teachers in “The Tribe” do not teach in isolation—they share, support, and men- g
tor each other in a community of practice. Farber shares his fi ndings about the a
social practices of these educators. Game-Based Learning in Action details how m
the classrooms of expert game-based learning teachers function, from how they
rollout games to how they assess learning outcomes. e
-
There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the best practices of expert edu- b
cators. These teachers use games to provide a shared meaningful experience for a
students. Games are often the focal point of instruction. Featuring a foreword
s
from James Paul Gee (Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Stud-
e
ies, and Regents’ Professor), this book comments on promises and challenges
d
of game-based learning in twenty-fi rst century classrooms. If you are looking to
innovate your classroom with playful and gameful learning practices, then Game- l
Based Learning in Action is for you! e
a
r
n
i
n
Matthew Farber, Ed.D. is Assistant Professor in the Technology,
g
Innovation, and Pedagogy Program at the University of Northern
Colorado. His research is at the intersection of teacher educa-
i
tion, learning technologies, and game-based learning. Dr. Farber n
has been invited to the White House, and he has been inter-
viewed about games and learning by NPR, Fox News Radio, USA a
TODAY, and The Wall Street Journal. He is also an Edutopia c
blogger, a Certified BrainPOP Educator, and he is in the iCivics t game-based
Educator Network. His first book, Gamify Your Classroom: A Field i How an Expert
Guide to Game-Based Learning, Revised Edition features a fore- o
word from USA TODAY’s Greg Toppo. To learn more, visit: Mat- n
Affinity Group
thewFarber.com. learning
Teaches With
in action
Games
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
MATTHEW FARBER
www.peterlang.com FOREWORD BY JAMES PAUL GEE
Cover photo courtesy of Paul Darvasi
80
How are expert educators using games in their classrooms to give students
agency, while also teaching twenty-fi rst century skills, like empathy, systems think-
F
ing, and design thinking? This question has motivated Matthew Farber’s Game- A
Based Learning in Action: How an Expert Affi nity Group Teaches With Games R
B
showcasing how one affi nity group of K12 educators—known as “The Tribe”—
E
teaches with games. They are transformational leaders outside the classroom, in R
communities of practice. They mentor and lead newcomers to game-based learn-
ing, as well as advise game developers, academics, and policymakers.
Teachers in “The Tribe” do not teach in isolation—they share, support, and men- g
tor each other in a community of practice. Farber shares his fi ndings about the a
social practices of these educators. Game-Based Learning in Action details how m
the classrooms of expert game-based learning teachers function, from how they
rollout games to how they assess learning outcomes. e
-
There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the best practices of expert edu- b
cators. These teachers use games to provide a shared meaningful experience for a
students. Games are often the focal point of instruction. Featuring a foreword
s
from James Paul Gee (Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Stud-
e
ies, and Regents’ Professor), this book comments on promises and challenges
d
of game-based learning in twenty-fi rst century classrooms. If you are looking to
innovate your classroom with playful and gameful learning practices, then Game- l
Based Learning in Action is for you! e
a
r
n
i
n
Matthew Farber, Ed.D. is Assistant Professor in the Technology,
g
Innovation, and Pedagogy Program at the University of Northern
Colorado. His research is at the intersection of teacher educa-
i
tion, learning technologies, and game-based learning. Dr. Farber n
has been invited to the White House, and he has been inter-
viewed about games and learning by NPR, Fox News Radio, USA a
TODAY, and The Wall Street Journal. He is also an Edutopia c
blogger, a Certified BrainPOP Educator, and he is in the iCivics t game-based
Educator Network. His first book, Gamify Your Classroom: A Field i How an Expert
Guide to Game-Based Learning, Revised Edition features a fore- o
word from USA TODAY’s Greg Toppo. To learn more, visit: Mat- n
Affinity Group
thewFarber.com. learning
Teaches With
in action
Games
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
www.peterlang.com FOREWORD BY JAMES PAUL GEE
Cover photo courtesy of Paul Darvasi
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
Game-Based Learning in Action
“Following a group of innovative tech-savvy teachers, Matthew Farber unearths a
close-knit tribe of passionate educator-scholars actively using games in their
classrooms. This community applies scholarly research on game-based learning to
their own teaching and presents their results at academic conferences and teacher
workshops. Farber’s book introduces you to the teachers, the tools, and their
techniques, and ties it together with current cutting-edge research. At the end of
each chapter you’ll find yourself excited to dive into an overflowing toolbox of
techniques to try, games to play, and papers to read. Farber covers a vast landscape,
pulling resources together and presenting them to you in a thorough and easy to
follow format. Press start!”
—Mark DeLoura, Engineer, Game Developer, Former Senior Advisor
for Digital Media in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
“Matthew Farber’s book sheds a fascinating light on a dispersed group of educators
who bring radical educational practices into conventional settings. More
importantly, this book portrays how this small but effective global community
supports one another, both personally and professionally, and provides the
foundation required to integrate games-based learning into on-going coursework.
For those new to games-based learning, Farber shows us how classroom learning can
be transformed when educators work together to understand their students then
design curriculum that speaks to their passions.”
—Barry Joseph, Associate Director for Digital Learning
at the American Museum of Natural History
“Game-Based Learning in Action by Matthew Farber is an excellent and timely book.
It offers fresh and imaginative solutions that are all too rare in charting the future of
American education. By documenting an innovative tribe of remarkable teachers
who have proven, compelling ways to use games to revolutionize twenty-first
century teaching, learning and assessment, Farber has done the field a real service.
Chock full of practical insights on ways to catalyze the ‘playful learning movement’
the book delivers the passion, knowledge and ‘game plan’ of the real heroes who
can, if given a shot, transform America’s classrooms.”
—Michael Levine, Founder and Executive Director
of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop
“If you want to become an expert on games for learning, I know no better way than
Game-Based Learning in Action. It makes research accessible, and is full of thoughtful
case studies on exemplary games as well as great advice about how to integrate all of
it into a classroom. It is rare to find a book that is great for researchers, game
designers, and teachers, but here it is!”
—Jesse Schell, CEO Schell Games, and Distinguished Professor
of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University
Game-Based Learning
in Action
Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel
General Editors
Vol. 80
The New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies series
is part of the Peter Lang Education list.
Every volume is peer reviewed and meets
the highest quality standards for content and production.
PETER LANG
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Matthew Farber
Game-Based Learning
in Action
How an Expert Affinity Group
Teaches With Games
Foreword by James Paul Gee
PETER LANG
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Brussels Vienna Oxford Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Farber, Matthew, author.
Title: Game-based learning in action: how an expert affinity group teaches with games /
Matthew Farber.
Description: New York: Peter Lang.
Series: New literacies and digital epistemologies; vol. 80 | ISSN 1523-9543
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017017243 | ISBN 978-1-4331-4474-5 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4331-4471-4 (ebook pdf) | ISBN 978-1-4331-4472-1 (epub)
ISBN 978-1-4331-4473-8 (mobi)
Subjects: LCSH: Educational games.
Educational technology.
Teachers—Professional relationships.
Classification: LCC LB1029.G3 F36 | DDC 371.33/7—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017017243
DOI 10.3726/b11291
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.
© 2018 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com
All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.
contents
List of Figures ix
Foreword by James Paul Gee xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Structure of This Book 4
References 5
Part I: An Affinity Group of Game-Based Learning Educators 7
Chapter 1: The Tribe 9
Red Bandanas and Educational Anarchists 9
The Tribe as Community of Practice 12
The Games in Education Symposium as Affinity Space 14
Selecting the Keynote Speakers 17
The Speakers’ Dinner 18
Birds of a Feather Play Together 20
Birds of a Feather Tweet Together 21
Chapter Summary 24
References 24
vi game-based learning in action
Chapter 2: Learning From the Experts 27
The Inner Circle 27
The Tribe as Affinity Group 29
Taking Risks and Changing Paradigms 31
Game-Based Learning Evangelism 33
Pioneering Practitioners 35
Trusting the Experts 36
The Trouble With Experts 37
Chapter Summary 39
References 40
Chapter 3: Games in School 41
The “Horizontal Learning Space” in Quest Atlantis 42
Minecraft Mentors 44
Balanced Learning Games 46
Epistemic Games 47
Gamification 48
Game-Like Learning 50
Games as Designed Spaces 52
The Intersection of Games and Learning 53
The Business of Games4Ed 54
Chapter Summary 56
References 56
Part II: A Close Look at The Tribe in Action 61
Chapter 4: “The Godmother of Educational Gaming” 63
Room 339: Home to Epic Learners 65
Teaching Her Heroes 67
Thursday 67
Friday 72
References 77
Chapter 5: “For the Next 3 Hours, You Have a
License to Snoop Around the House” 79
Gone Home 80
The School 82
Observing Gone Home in the Classroom 83
References 94
Chapter 6: “Life Just Got Epic!” 95
Room 322: Iterative Design and Student Choice 96
