September 15, 2010
New York City "Quest to Learn" school teaches via video games
A September 15th New York Times Magazine article ("Learning by Playing") describes a New York City public school called Quest to Learn, and their investigations into designing a curriculum for 21st century skills, based on video game design.
Funded in part by MacArthur and Gates' Foundation grants, the school is run by a combination of game designers and teachers, notably game designer Katie Salen. Their approach to learning is in part described by the article's author:
"Quest to Learn is organized specifically around the idea that digital games are central to the lives of today’s children and also increasingly, as their speed and capability grow, powerful tools for intellectual exploration."
"At its best, game design can be an interdisciplinary exercise involving math, writing, art, computer programming, deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills. If children can build, play and understand games that work, it’s possible that someday they will understand and design systems that work. And the world is full of complicated systems. "
For more details, see:
Corbett, Sara. "Learning to Play" New York Times Magazine, September 15th, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19video-t.html?_r=2&hp
