Most educators use games in their classrooms in some way—some use them to teach something, as a way to motivate their students to stay engaged, or just as a leisurely activity. This is often done intuitively, because we recognize that most people love games and playing. In this session, we will work on developing game literacy, that is, an understanding of the design principles of games. Understanding games at a deeper level can help us be intentional in how we bring games into our classrooms. We will discuss the complexity of defining what is a game, game design elements such as mechanics and aesthetics, differences between gamification and game-based learning, and some strategies for using games in the classroom.
This is one of three webinars done in partnership with the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation's Quest Center, the premier professional development provider supporting Chicago’s public school educators through re-licensure, National Board Certification, and endorsements. Each webinar will be conducted by one of their esteemed PD trainers.
Speakers
Raúl Figueroa Rivera
Professional Development Facilitator, CTU Quest Center
Raúl has been a professional development facilitator at the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation Quest Center since February of 2018. At the Quest Center, Raúl teaches Spanish, Questioning and Discussion Strategies, Differentiated Instruction, and Games and Learning.
Raúl has degrees in Political Science and Language Education, from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM). Currently, he working on a PhD in Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). His research focuses on game-based learning, from a sociocultural learning theory lens. He teaches an undergraduate course at UIC that focuses on his research topics.
When teaching about games and learning, his objective is to help educators understand the design grammar of games so they can be intentional in using them as mediating tools for learning. That is, he helps teachers understand games from the perspective of game designers so they can take advantage of the affordances for learning that games usually have.
