How Video Games Can Have Educational Value In The Secondary Classroom
I am a first year high school teacher, and let me tell you that what they say is true. Your students will learn from you but you will also learn from your students.
I teach a junior and senior level science elective called Forensic Science. When discussing the different types of evidence found at a crime scene, such as physical, biological, trace, or testimonial evidence, I asked my students what leather would be considered. The answer I was expecting was an immediate “Biological!” What I actually got was a whole lot of silence. The pure definition of biological evidence is evidence coming from something that had once been alive, even plants and animals. I thought surely these students who grew up in Texas, who wear cowboy boots made from leather, know how leather is made and where the materials to make it come from. Apparently, I had been wrong in my assumption.
Some students were saying physical because its a type of fabric, which makes sense as were were just talking about synthetic versus natural fibers at a crime scene. But then I had a student raise his hand and say “ Leather is biological because it is made from animal skin.” I thought “Great, someone gets it!” So I praised his answer and asked how he knew that. Here I was thinking he would have this explanation having to do with growing up in Texas, but no!
He responded with the most simplest and perfect explanation. He said, “I know from playing Minecraft. You have to collect animals before you can make leather in the game.”
It was such an awesome, teachable moment about how video games can be educational and you learn things without even knowing that you’re picking up on new things.
I had no idea that games such as Minecraft hold any educational value, but here is my student being able to correctly answer a question in a higher level science elective because of playing this game. As educators, we should take this lesson to heart. Our students have interests outside of the classroom that definitely have instructional value in the classroom. Before nixing the thought of incorporating video games into the classroom, think about how lost my students would have been without the relevance to Minecraft.
