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A Constructivist Perspective on Games in Education

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Constructivist Education in an Age of Accountability

Abstract

This chapter explores four common perspectives on the study of games and the value of games for learning: games as a delivery mechanism for curricular content; ‘gamification’, which looks at elements of game systems that can be applied to new non-gaming contexts; examination of existing games that can be adapted to serve educational intentions; and games as a component of a larger activity system of play that transcends the game space. This chapter described critical features of games as play spaces to support learning from a sociocultural and activity theory perspective in which learning is viewed as the consequence of culturally mediated activity. The chapter concludes with discussion of issues and recommendations for practitioners considering the use of games for learning.

Special thanks to Rolin Moe, Seattle Pacific University, Institute for Academic Innovation, for insightful critique of the manuscript.

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Polin, L.G. (2018). A Constructivist Perspective on Games in Education. In: Kritt, D. (eds) Constructivist Education in an Age of Accountability . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66050-9_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66050-9_9

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