Could you imagine a world where children will ask you to bring them to school? Well, that world doesn’t seem so far away… at least I know my son would be happy to go to the school Ian Livingstone is planning to open in 2016 in Hammersmith, London. Read what technology reporter Dave Lee wrote on his article in the BBC News:
By bringing gaming elements into the learning process, Mr Livingstone argued, students would learn how to problem-solve rather than just how to pass exams.
Mr Livingstone said he wanted to bring the principles of his interactive books to the classroom
[…] Mr Livingstone is best known for being the man behind huge franchises such as Tomb Raider and tabletop game Warhammer.
In the 80s, his Fighting Fantasy books brought an interactive element to reading that proved extremely popular.
Speaking to the BBC about the plans, Mr Livingstone said he wanted to bring those interactive principles to schooling, but stressed the school would provide learning across all core subjects.
There is more behind his idea than just making children wanting to go to school. It fosters a ‘hands-on’ approach that allows students not only to know, but to know how to use the learned knowledge. Plus the added benefit of allowing diverse paths to reach the goal:
By bringing gaming elements into the learning process, Mr Livingstone argued, students would learn how to problem-solve rather than just how to pass exams.
[…] “There needs to be a shift in the pedagogy of learning in classrooms because there’s still an awful lot of testing and conformity instead of diversity.
“I’m not saying knowledge is bad – I’m just trying to get a bit more know-how into the curriculum.”
He said he considers the trial-and-error nature of creating games as a key model for learning.
“For my mind, failure is just success work-in-progress. Look at any game studio and the way they iterate. Angry Birds was Rovio’s 51st game.
“You’re allowed to fail. Games-based learning allows you to fail in a safe environment.”
Let’s wish him a great success!
