How Gaming can Improve Your Teaching

As a teacher and gamer I can attest that my mad gaming skills have helped me in my teaching. In fact, I dare say that all teachers should game. You may ask why? Well, as you navigate the treacherous landscape of teaching, there are a few skills that can only be acquired exclusively through gaming. If you have been gaming since Command & Conquer Red Alert came out, you would have mastered some of these skills. If you have not, read on to find out the benefits of gaming to teaching.

Micro & Macro Managing

If you have been playing games like Starcraft or Warcraft, the concept of Macro applies to securing the resources or structures required to win the battle. Micro refers to how you move your armies around and use them effectively to win battles. Some experts in Starcraft 2 can micro and macro manage so well that their skills are almost God-like.

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As much as I would like to move and manage my class around via a mouse and a keyboard, I would have to settle for just my voice. One important thing that many teachers will realize is that managing 40 students is no easy task. However, applying the strategies learnt in games such as Starcraft, I would first secure the infrastructure I need to help with managing the classroom. That is why I have my own LCD projector and back-up art supplies to carry out the lesson.

Next, I will need to micromanage the class. In Starcraft, I would first group all units of the same type together and assigning a number to that group. This makes it easier for me to control each unit to accomplish specific tasks. The same concept applies in the classroom. I will always group my students in specific groups, in each group, each student is given a task. This helps clarify to the students what their roles are in order to accomplish a certain objective.

If the class is micro and macro managed correctly, the entire teaching and learning process becomes easier. This helps not only in the students' learning, but it does help ensure that the teacher stays sane. However, good management skills are not the only skills that can be acquired via gaming.

Being Observant

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In many role playing games and action games, it is the task of the player to be extremely observant. This is necessary to find an exit to the next level or spot different clues to accomplish the mission. While it can be a challenge for those who don't play much games, a seasoned gamer is able to spot these things easily. This is because games are designed for that purpose, items are placed in locations that are obvious but not too obvious at the same time. This helps the gamer acquire observational skills that is of the utmost importance in the game.

Applying this to the classroom, a teacher is required to be observant. For example, I had a child in class who would always stare into space. I thought she was tired initially, then I started seeing some signs. She only responded to physical contact, but not to anything verbal. She seemed uncomfortable and it did not help that other students were calling her weird. Upon further investigation, I found out that she was deaf. Her parents knew about this but decided to leave her in a 'normal' school. They did not want to send her to a special needs school for fear that others would label her as different or weird. This deprived her of the help she needed.

However, it is important for the teacher to notice such things. It will only make matters worse if the teacher was not observant and deemed her to be disobedient or off task. Worse, it would be detrimental to the child if the teacher decides to punish the child for not paying attention. Thus, honing one's observational skills is important, but the most important one of all is still solving problems.

Problem Solving Skills

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If any teacher tells you that they are only required to teach and nothing else, that is not a real teacher. Of course, I'mover-generalizing, but most of us teachers wear more than one hat. We are not just teachers, we are parents and mentors to the children, we are project managers, fund-raisers, coaches, entertainer and drill sergeant. While wearing each of these hats, it is important for us to know how to solve problems. These problems are not exclusive to the classroom, it may also include administrative duties and activity planning.

In summary, a struggle of a teacher can be described in one simple sentence:

How do I complete all my duties in such a short time.

While there is not simple solution to that, we get rather creative. We start by leveraging each other's expertise and help each other accomplish a task together. Some teachers have the knack for detail and prefer administrative duties, that person can then help others in that area while someone else would take over other tasks that suit their strengths. I would normally help my colleagues in all things technology related. In turn, they help me with some of the filing of my documents. It's great teamwork, something like playing horde in Gears of War or DOTA 2.

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Conclusion

I hope that you will find time to game. Even if it is not something of interest to you, do try it out just to release some stress. It is not easy running around being a teacher, take your time, sit down and play some games like Clash of Clans. Wait, maybe that's not a good idea. Most of my students are on it, there's a high chance yours would be too. You could still play, if you don't mind getting defeated (or in gaming lingo, 'owned') by your students on it.

Or if games aren't your thing, you could just Steem on!

I would like your next post to be "How to Find Time to Game During Report Card Season". I will comment, upvote, resteem and print it out for my vision board :P
I think gaming also brings together varying cultures. I like what @crypto3d said about learning English on WOW. My students connect with people from all over the world through online games. Sometimes I wish they talked to each other using kinder language, but I appreciate that their friends online are just as important as their friends off. Gaming builds communication skills!
I love to game, but I try not to during the school year or else I lose too many hours where I need to be marking or planning. Maybe if I bill it as professional development I can justify it to myself, though.
Thanks!