I was pleased to see many members of CCTE’s current doctoral cohort, when asked to develop hypothetical research questions the other day in our Thursday seminar, gravitating towards questions about problem-solving and metacognition! I think this is exciting, since I think it’s a more interesting problem to tackle than lower-level education.
Can these skills be developed with video games? There seems to be a lot of established thought in our department about using simulations (CTELL, CNMTL’s projects, general thinking about complex systems and mental models) to foster higher-order thinking. My hunch is that “games” (here referring to goal-oriented, playful software based around some central conflict, excluding simulation for the moment) will probably be better at teaching simple skills like reading and math, and at engaging participants on a social and emotional level. I suppose that remains to be seen. I guess one question is, to what extent can simulations be gamelike, or incorporated into games?
I’m thinking of researching how video gamers playing various genres of game develop metacognitive strategies to aid play, and looking into how their knowledge transfers to other games and possibly to other subjects. I know someone in John Black’s research practicum the other day expressed interest in exploring how gamers choose different strategies for problem solving, as well…
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