Mark on Shaffer's (2006) chptr 6

Shaffer continues to argue for educational games (i.e. those setup with the proper epistemic frame) as one major way to prepare students to innovate and think in new ways. In this final chapter of his book, he differentiates between popular games (like SimCity) and epistemic games (like Urban Planning). The latter is modeled on the real world--it is in context and includes the feedback that a read city planner would face (instead of the fantasy of SimCity). As in earlier chapters, he certainly seems to make a convincing case by pointing to "interview results" of students (pre- versus post-answers or transfer of knowledge to new scenarios/cases).

In discussing how to form/build epistemic games, the author makes an interesting dichotomy between "reflection-on-action" and "reflection-in-action" of professionals in practica in their fields. Though not much discussion is given to these (p177-178), the author states that "reflection-in-action" occurs over time as "reflection-on-action" is practiced and internalized. This follows the same idea as learning with models and learning by modeling (the latter internalizes it). And, even farther back, to the mental model ideas of Piaget!

Shaffer states to build epistemic games, we must ask:

1. What is worth being able to do in the world?
   
2. Who knows how to do this kind of thing, and how do they learn how to do it?
   
3. How do we make these learning practices available to others?
   

The most interesting part of this read (and the author knew it, so he put it at the end and ramped up to it!), was his suggesting that epistemic games probably WON'T be played mostly in the classroom. He recognizes the constraints of K-12 education (time, standardized test prep, cost, etc.), so suggest that this type of learning should take place in "third spaces" (other common areas besides school/work and home). He gives hope that farther in the future, school could include this sort of gaming curriculum; but, he seems to think this cultural shift will take quite a while. I would think that progressive schools would run to embrace this. Also, why couldn't higher education take the lead on doing this with our students, since we may not have the same constraints as common schools??