The Future of STEM Education Lies in the Hands of Video Game Developers

Innovative educators associated with the most coveted institutions are of the idea that education will increase in creativity with time. Also many game developers stand firm in their belief that video gaming, for better or for the worse is the gateway to computer programming for most children, hence, academic institutions should just roll with it.

Somewhere in this heated discussion that is a great conversation starter these days, we seem to have lost focus on what is truly important for educational systems. Is it simply the intake of knowledge and sharing it back and forth in the form of standardized tests and assignments? The future of educational system should focus more on the ‘what’ than on the ‘how’ of their mode of instruction. Education should evolve to include the missing step in between the consumption of knowledge and sharing it back. The missing link remains with figuring how one can use this knowledge in the real world, to address real problems.

The classroom needs to evolve in the near future and will do, and form a space for makers or creators and thinkers rather than just mundane learners. With technologies like Siri, Google Now and Evernote the whole idea of asking a simple question to a child and assessing their intellectual development based on their answer will get obsolete with the increasing prevalence of such virtual mechanisms. So, asking a child a question which he or she can ask Siri will not make any sense for assessing their knowledge because their simple ability to ask Siri will no longer be a unique task. Thus, there needs to be a system where students can be evaluated based on their capabilities of critical thinking and not just repeating the same instruction taught to them. Originality will be favored over time in the near future, so we need students who are deeply involved in the process of learning and coming with creative ideas rather than those who are forced to sit in a class and listen to lessons with disinterest.

This is where an educational video game comes in handy, if executed right they can provide a strong foundation for project-specific learning and create an inquisitive environment for inspiring critical thinking amidst students.

Moreover, with the current pace of technological advancements that the world is moving at, the need for better understanding of how computer systems work will become increasingly necessary. And the jobs that many students pursue presently will be in the brink of extinction very soon. Thus, a medium that can teach students technical skills fast will be useful at such a time when digital literacy would be of utmost importance.

These days the games that hone creative thinking skills, like Minecraft and MinecraftEdu are growing in popularity among parents and teachers alike. Many teachers have included mathematical training as a part of this entertaining game that leaves the players’ imagination limitless by providing them with the facility to create almost anything in the world with just cubes. More than just teaching kids’ video games can also offer useful information to the parents or teachers about how well the kids are learning, with easy to understand visual displays. Also with the instantaneous feedback offered by video games, it becomes more rewarding for both the students as well as the teachers to use this teaching method for assessment.

But digital gaming is yet to go a long way and cannot be treated like a quick fix against the existing problems in the educational system. But we can still use video games that challenge memory for learning, as memory is crucial for a child’s overall cognitive development and thus, in theory will work to improve academic performances and classroom behavior.

The most important effect of video games will however be seen in students who have not responded well to traditional teaching methods. The latest survey reports also show that the lowest performing students are seen to benefit the most from such alternative training methods and believe video games can motivate students with specialized educational needs.