Play with Learning

Satisfaction

I’m increasingly interested in what makes people happy. It’s pretty clear that it’s not material things such as money or possessions. Similarly, purely selfish behaviour doesn’t seem to lead to contentment either. When we are considering what we want to with our life it is crucial to keep this simple goal and these considerations in mind.

As I spoke to students last week about personal visions, I revisited Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I thought it might be valuable to repeat his thinking here.

maslow's hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s hierarchy describes increasing levels of “self actualisation”. This is a state where people reach their full potential and feel fulfilled. In ascending order, the levels are:

• Biology (food, drink, shelter, warmth, sleep, sex)
• Safety (protection, stability, law & order)
• Love (family, affection, relationships)
• Esteem (achievement, status, responsibility, reputation)
• Self-actualisation (personal growth & fulfilment)

Recent research has confirmed that these are global requirements for satisfaction, although different cultures put priority differently. Still, it’s an interesting list and useful for establishing where we sit in our assessment of personal satisfaction.

What’s particularly impressive about Maslow is that he didn’t just leave the hierarchy is purely theoretical, he suggests the 15 characteristics most commonly associated with people who have attained self-actualisation.

The characteristics are:

• They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty
• Accept themselves and others for what they are
• Spontaneous in thought and action
• Problem-centred (although I prefer to think of it as “solutions-focussed”)
• Unusual sense of humour
• Able to look at life objectively
• Highly creative
• Resistant to enculturation
• Concerned for the welfare of mankind
• Capable of deep appreciation of basic life experiences
• Establish deep satisfying relationships with a few people
• Peak experiences
• Need for privacy
• Democratic attitudes
• Strong moral/ ethical standards

Psychology & Neuroscience articles

NCSU research: Study Shows Sports Can Help Communities Recover From Disaster http://j.mp/o0bzkz

Distract Yourself or Think It Over? Two Ways to Deal with Negative Emotions from Association for Psychological Science http://j.mp/l37Fnm

Too much choice is a bad thing – Journal of Public Economics http://j.mp/kJXbgT

Snooze you win? It’s true according to Stanford reseasrch http://j.mp/iCsjtQ

The sharing of stories or information may be driven in part by arousal according to new study. http://j.mp/jCeDqH

Text message support for smokers doubles quit rates. From the Lancet. http://j.mp/k9CmP7

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs key to wellbeing but order unimportant – University of Illinois http://j.mp/lfSR5O

Practising a little can make lasting impact on brain according to study from McMaster Uni. http://j.mp/kTz1Dz

Being born & raised in a city is associated with greater lifetime risk for anxiety & mood disorder. From Nature. http://j.mp/jrjGpu

Multi-tasking not all it’s “cracked up” to be? Stanford Study shows? bit.ly/16ko3N

Learning Styles: The Cognitive Side of Content by Johnny Holland http://j.mp/izrUDk

Teens still learning to plan ahead from Child Development journal http://j.mp/kzyUhz

Youth cybercrime linked to friends’ influence from Michigan State University http://j.mp/iBAKm3

Psychology & neuroscience articles

A selection of the articles thatI’ve seen about psychology and neuroscience recently:

Morality

Changes in brain circuitry play role in moral sensitivity as people grow up – UChicago News http://j.mp/ih8rrU

Violent video games reduce brain response to violence and increase aggression according to Uni Missouri http://j.mp/j7jSPs

Relationships

Don’t Believe Facebook; You Only Have 150 Friends : NPR http://j.mp/ljMBjP

The way Facebook changes relationships by Benjamin Cohen from C4 news http://j.mp/k0T0re

Happiness

Autonomy, not money, makes us happy according to APA study http://j.mp/liSDNx

Income Disparity Makes People Unhappy – Association for Psychological Science http://j.mp/mTEDxF

Lack of relationships, education top list of common American regrets according to Illinois study http://j.mp/k5kZUm

According to research from Ohio, young adults get self-esteem boost from debt http://j.mp/lr3s30

Expertise

Expertise insulates against bias. Research from Virginia http://j.mp/jLZ8NS

Viewers Look To TV Characters To Advise How To Talk About Sexual Health. Research from Ohio http://j.mp/itDcsG

Miscellany

7 things not to forget about change http://j.mp/iuxvuH

Psychology & neuroscience: are we in a golden age or victims of neuromania? http://ow.ly/5nBrn

Testing Improves Memory from Association for Psychological Science http://j.mp/lrPY1p

Childhood articles

Some of the articles about children and childhood that I’ve seen in the last few weeks:

Parents & preschool

Wanted: More Playful Parents http://j.mp/mII7ph

Supportive home learning experiences in the early years boost low-income children’s readiness for school. From NYU. http://j.mp/j3JmWs

Parents prefer media content ratings system in national study led by Iowa State Uni http://j.mp/jS7Psd

Usage

Coney center reports on children and media: joanganzcooneycenter.org/Reports.html

Young adults struggle with online political participation. From Penn State U http://j.mp/mTGyLk

According to research from Ohio, young adults get self-esteem boost from debt http://j.mp/lr3s30

Good youth programs help teens learn to think strategically according to study at Illinois http://j.mp/mEATwz

Suffering

Social media articles

Some articles about social media from the last couple of weeks:

Online relationships

Don’t Believe Facebook; You Only Have 150 Friends : NPR http://j.mp/ljMBjP

The way Facebook changes relationships by Benjamin Cohen from C4 news http://j.mp/k0T0re

Dangers of social groupthink: A case study in Enterprise 2.0, Social CRM and Social Business | CustomerThink http://j.mp/lPberE

Disconnecting

6 reasons not to have a Facebook page http://j.mp/inmuw5

Take a holiday from your networks http://gu.com/p/2pact/ip

Disconnecting in a too-connected world – BusinessWeek http://j.mp/lWT1uN

Facebook’s face recognition technology (and how to turn it off): http://bbc.in/iSSRjC

Authorship

Don’t Be a Weiner (or a Loser): Think Before You Post from Retrevo http://j.mp/mtwLZL

Digital authorship, computers and writing http://j.mp/lMdonc

Independent Author Sells 1 Million Ebooks via Amazon http://t.co/eNCyGeO

Anonymization remains strong tool for protecting privacy according to Canadian research. http://j.mp/m6Fygq

Learning

7 objections to social media in learning (and answers) from Donald Clark http://j.mp/kponiI

How social media and game mechanics can motivate students – http://on.mash.to/ieEOyQ

TED launches new platform for TEDx talks – beautiful way to discover the world’s top thinkers http://j.mp/my9gAn

Usage

Facebook Sees Big Traffic Drops in US and Canada as It Nears 700 Million Users Worldwide http://j.mp/k6LSOV

Interesting tool from RAND to use social media to collect and analyse expert opinion http://j.mp/m9JKsy

Online crime and sexual partner surveys ‘biased’ from BBC News http://j.mp/mxdIQd

Iceland’s Citizens Are Writing Its New Constitution Online from Popular Science http://j.mp/kb2MLw

So much for digital democracy: New Berkeley study finds elite viewpoints dominate online content http://j.mp/jaw6vm

Play & games articles

dice

Some of the articles that have caught my attention in the last couple of weeks:

Play

Swings & Roundabouts in Whitehall: Pat Kane article for Play England’s Play Today http://j.mp/jKQWXV

Wanted: More Playful Parents http://j.mp/mII7ph

Games & education

How social media and game mechanics can motivate students – http://on.mash.to/ieEOyQ

Computer Games and the Future of Assessment by Gee and Shaffer in latest WCER Research highlights http://j.mp/l1E4gs

Storytelling in education and games http://j.mp/ktkVQQ

Video Games and Learning theory http://j.mp/juDIHp

Gates Foundation funding innovative education incl games http://bit.ly/iNzTqR

Serious Games: Can Gaming Teach Kids About Life? http://j.mp/jTGCd2

Gamification

Gamification time: What if everything was just a game? From BBC News http://j.mp/jdbxTK

The ‘Gamification’ of education http://j.mp/lZQReJ

Gamification: When two tribes go to work – The Independent http://j.mp/iLQQNW

What Gamers Want: Researchers Develop Tool To Predict Player Behaviour. From NCSU http://j.mp/kcJtIq

Psychology

Kinder, Gentler Video Games May Actually Be Good For Players. From Ohio Uni http://j.mp/mHGSYF

Violent video games reduce brain response to violence and increase aggression according to Uni Missouri http://j.mp/j7jSPs

Proof video games aren’t for teens: Average Gamer Is 37 Years Old http://bit.ly/lbD5AX

The Role of Failure in Gameplay from Chris Bateman at iHobo http://j.mp/jl6dNR

Re-Play: What can’t you play? http://j.mp/khKiVF

Resources

100 Learning Games Readings compiled by @deangroom http://j.mp/kFq2lY

Great selection of games and learning resources from @instituteofplay http://j.mp/m5EYIH

Random

The Game Narratives Drinking Game. http://bit.ly/j3NqXp

Tweets this week

twitter

Some of the articles that have caught my eye this week.

Games

• The seduction secrets of video game designers from The Observer http://j.mp/jXRfP4
• Interesting article from @gamasutra – Unsocial ‘Social’ Games http://j.mp/kaItTZ
• RT @dripster: “Hollywood shuns intelligent entertainment. The games industry doesn’t. Guess who’s winning?” http://bit.ly/iEcxHk

Psychology

• Value of art? Men who visit galleries, museums & theatre enjoy better health and are more satisfied with life. From BMJ http://bit.ly/mSaZ3k
• The value of self-talk – Thoughts That Win from Association for Psychological Science http://j.mp/mhVnLF
• 10 differences between your brain and a computer http://j.mp/mqyXRA
• Satisfaction with life and the level of state intervention go hand in hand according to study http://j.mp/ih6lOV
• RT @TheEconomist: The OECD has launched its Better Life index to measure well-being as an alternative to GDP http://econ.st/lThxJR
• Economic Recovery is Stronger in States Where People are More Optimistic http://j.mp/lbG3PP

Social Media

• RT @BBCCollege: Social networks vs TV – top ten fascinating stats: http://bbc.in/jAHEYL
• Interesting paper by @mweller: Higher education and the promises and perils of social network http://j.mp/lIwuhK
• BBC – Newsbeat – Facebook should allow under 13s says Mark Zuckerberg http://bbc.in/jEHVeA

Multiplatform

• #BBC scraps #multiplatform commissioners. Report in Broadcast http://bit.ly/lKhCcY
• RT @SkillsetSSC: #FastTrain Multiplatform Production presentation from @Kirsty_Hunter now storified! http://ht.ly/52KZL

Learning

• Study highlighting benefit of physical activity for improving learning http://j.mp/mp4imS
• RT @SirKenRobinson: Nicely ironic piece on the trouble with innovation in education: http://wapo.st/jmiGeK
• RT @Propellernet: How social media and game mechanics can motivate students - http://on.mash.to/ieEOyQ – making learning fun?!

User Experience/ Usability

• RT kai_en_ong Our very talented Kutlu on: BBC Internet Blog: BBC World Service Language Websites: user experience and typography - http://bbc.in/jSHbeR
• RT @mylesrun: The State of iPad Usability http://feedly.com/k/kvcQ6p Good old Nielsen – stating the obvious and upsetting folks.

Random

• Something a bit random – ever wanted a really sharp knife? Watch this from PopSci http://j.mp/l1ZOZ9
• Turning 8-Bit Pixel Art Into Cute, Bubbly Vector Drawings from Popular Science http://j.mp/lQ70Kv
  
• RT brainpicker 30 ways to experiment with shadows in your photos – the ultimate guide to shadowplay http://j.mp/ks0OQo
• RT @robinbloor: Surely it’s no coincidence that the word “listen” is an anagram of the word “silent”.
• RT @LozKaye: Credit to BBC and ACE for releasing http://digitalcapacity.artscouncil.org.uk/ under Creative Commons. #digicaparts

Motivational momentum

In my previous post, I shared some thoughts about the motivation to learn. Today I’m thinking about the momentum that motivation generates.

There are a number of factors that can generate motivation.  These can include:

• Active participation
• Intrinsic and prompt feedback
• Challenging but achievable goals
• A mix of uncertainty and open-endedness

roller coaster

Active participation in a task allows the participant to materially affect the outcome through meaningful choices.  This personal responsibility instils a sense of ownership whereby success or failure depends on a positive contribution by the learner.  It is not enough to merely observe – the learner must act.  Simply by making a decision, learners are investing in the activity’s conclusion.

Seeing the effects of a contribution makes the participation real.  This immediate feedback, often taking the form of incrementally altered graphics in computer games, illustrates the effect the learner is having on proceedings.  This interim feedback is often an implicit reflection of current conditions before a conclusive summary of performance occurs.

The frequent delivery of feedback encourages learners to overcome challenges that otherwise might be considered too hard but the tasks themselves need to be perceived as achievable if the learner is to remain committed says Stanford’s Carol Dweck in her study, Motivation, In Foundations for a psychology of education ( 1989).  For the activity to be satisfying, it should push the boundaries of the learner’s competency and demonstrate clear development.  While reinforcing existing skills can build confidence, it is the extension of ability that drives longer-term engagement.

However, to be authentic, the outcomes need to maintain a level of uncertainty, if not unpredictability – a foregone conclusion does not engage participants to the same degree as an event determined by involvement.  And, by the same token, if the outcome remains fluid it implies a level of open-endedness.

Although there are concerns about learners being heavily influenced by extrinsic motivational factors like competition and performance goals rather than learning goals, in the short term, the desire to ‘win’ can be very compelling and the triumph over a series of conflicts is a universal motivator.

A highly motivated learner generates a set of conditions that encourages further progress:  motivation creates an environment that is conducive to ongoing motivation.  Although motivation is central to almost all activity, its characteristics are core to learning per se.  Therefore achieving and maintaining motivation should be seen as crucial to the learning experience.

Miguel Cornejo Castro identifies that when a learner is motivated, it can stimulate a number of highly desirable outcomes:

• Collaborative interaction
• Peer scaffolding of learning
• Creative competition or cooperation

What Miguel is saying is that motivated learners seek out the most successful solution either individually or in a group.  Their desire to overcome the challenge presented will often encourage them to work more creatively, look for more effective responses or alternative approaches.  When highly motivated teams work together, they instinctively resort to dialogue to refine their thinking: Gorden Pask describes how one person will ‘teach’ another what they have learnt about the situation (Conversation, Cognition, and Learning, 1975).

The dialogue that occurs during collaboration highlights the relative strengths of the cohort with some participants displaying a better grasp of the issue or an illuminating perspective.  These ‘expert’ peers support their collaborators in raising their understanding, a process Vygotsky calls ‘scaffolding.’

The increased motivation to succeed prompts more imaginative problem solving as learners look for results.  This increased drive encourages higher levels of engagement particularly where there is also some form of competition.

It’s clear that engaging learners and successfully motivating them is key to effective learning but it’s important to remember that engagement alone doesn’t generate improved skills.

Bothered? What motivation to learn?

blank page

The initial challenge for any learning is to determine, encourage and exploit an individual’s motivation so I’ve been thinking a little about what motivates us to learn and what motivation can acheive.  Particularly after enforced schooling has finished.

K.Patricia Cross identifies a number of reasons why adults choose to learn voluntarily:

• For its own sake
• When it offers a specific reward
• As activity in its own right

But there’s more to it than that.  Motivation has two determinants – drive and incentive.  ‘Drive’ is the ‘internal aversion state’ that seeks to reduce a perceived level of deprivation – for example, the discomfort felt by feeling ignorant among peers and  ‘incentive’ is the perceived attractiveness of the reward – passing an exam to achieve a pay rise, for example.

A particularly important aspect of motivation is how the user responds to any perceived failure.  Those who believe that their failure is the consequence of ‘stable factors’ such as natural ability or intelligence are more likely to give up on a task than those who believe lack of success was due to ‘unstable factors’ that can be corrected through a change of strategy or more effort.  Ensuring that learners assume a mindset that attributes progress to factors under their control is essential for long-term engagement and development.

Active engagement in an activity, inspired by motivated learners, can lead to a sense of what  Csikszentmihalyi defines as ‘flow.’ Flow describes profound activity that appears effortless.  During instances of flow, learners make significant progress towards overcoming some challenge without necessarily being conscious of the process.  Daniel Goleman suggests that people enter flow through intentional focus or the taxing of existing skill. Motivation provides focus and minimises the effect of extraneous influences.

Marc Prensky argues that there are a number of signals that indicate that a learner is motivated.  These signs are highly desirable in and of themselves with regard to learning.  They include:

• Independent work;
• Self-directed problem posing;
• Persistence;
• Pleasure in learning.

If learners pursue learning of their own volition, it clearly indicates that there is some driving force encouraging continued attention.  Where this learning is beyond the required, it demonstrates highly effective engagement in the materials.  Obviously, when this learning becomes extramural, it can be a distraction, but otherwise this unconscious diligence proves useful for progress.

This willing momentum often manifests itself in the learner’s own expansion of the challenge.  Self-directed problem posing shows the energy of intellectual curiosity that can transport the learner beyond the expected bounds of educational programmes.

Associated with self-directed problem posing is the persistence required to see problems through to their solution.  Without a high level of motivation, learners tend to abandon activity when it becomes too challenging.  This frustration not only halts the learning at that time, it can also create barriers to future engagement.  Persistent learners demonstrate an attitude that sees challenge as a reason to continue, not a reason to stop.  At the same time, the satisfaction derived from completing a task, achieving a solution and beating the problem provides encouragement to explore further still.  Learners find themselves with a self-perpetuating momentum that often only stops because of external factors such as running out of time.

Achieving the learning objectives gives learners a sense of progress – a measurable shift in cognitive ability, for example.  Extending learning beyond that which was expected gives the learner a genuine sense of triumph.  This manifests itself not only in the deliberate creation of new challenges but also in the profound satisfaction of ‘winning.’  This ‘triumph over adversity,’ however small, makes learning enjoyable.  Educators should not underestimate this pleasure in learning.  And pleasure provides the most sustainable energy to continue activity in all but the most extreme emergencies.

Rewarding learning

star of the week

My little girl was ‘Star of the Week’ at her school last week for ‘great number work.’  She was ecstatic to receive the recognition.  And it’s a big encouragement to her to keep on trying.  I’m very proud of her.

Coincidentally but far more trivially, I went up a level in Modern Warfare 2.   It made me think about how we reward learning compared to the achievements celebrated in gaming.

I am not very good at Call of Duty, indeed my role largely seems to be cannon fodder for American teenagers, but I am persistent despite my thousands of deaths.  According the stats, I’ve been playing for more than 4 days over the last year.  That’s a lot of time but it’s less than a tenth of that spent by some young people I know.  One of the elements that keeps us coming back is the quality of the game’s encouragement – it rewards every achievement and all the effort.

If you’re not familiar with Call of Duty, here are the potential rewards:

In single player mode, you progress through the game unlocking harder levels, viewing cut scenes and revealing new elements of the storyline.  There are 18 ‘scenes’ split over 3 acts.  Each has a progressive but different set of challenges, characters, settings and equipment.  It’s a level of richness that proves compelling in its own right.  But it’s not all.

In multiplayer mode you also receive a public accolade at the end of each game and XP and bonus points.  There are public leaderboards to show your global ranking and private ones to compare your scores to that of your friends.

You earn points by using each weapon.  For example, assault rifles have the following challenges:

emblems

Pretty impressive list, isn’t it? Notice how achievements are rewarded with points, emblems, titles and new content unlocks.  It is persuasive feedback to players.

Now consider this.  There are

• 28 challenges for each primary weapon
• 24 primary weapons
• 22 challenges for each secondary weapon
• 20 secondary weapons

Mastering the game’s arsenal offers more than a 1000 separate challenges.

And there’s more.  There are:

• 96 perk challenges
• 25 equipment challenges
• 22 basic training challenges (unlocked at level 6)
• 27 operations challenges (unlocked at level 10)
• 57 killstreaks challenges(unlocked at level 16)
• 32 precision challenges(unlocked at level 26)
• 14 finishing moves challenges (unlocked at level 35)
• 19 humiliation challenges (unlocked at level 41)
• 15 payback challenges (unlocked at level 47)
• 19 elite challenges (unlocked at level 53)
• 16 intimidation challenges (unlocked at level 61)
• 57 prestige challenges (unlocked at level 70)
• 25 hidden challenges

That’s nearly 1500 different challenges in total, each rewarded with new content, status and points.  There are 70 levels, 297 different emblems for players and 570 callsigns.

This post isn’t a celebration of Call of Duty or the violent type of gameplay associated with it but it is an example of how games do everything they can to engage users.  It’s not just the sheer quantity of awards, it is the variety and value of them that we need to acknowledge.   Games reward effort and achievement in the following ways:

• status
• statistics
• token and badges
• progressive difficulty
• public accolade
• new content

It makes the tick after a right answer look a little paltry doesn’t it?