5315 Discussion Post: Asking the Right Questions

I'm constantly thinking about how to engage students and teach them valuable skills. When I watched the videos on "7 Skills students need for their future" by Wagner (Asia Society, 2009) and "The Seven Essential Life Skills" by Galinsky (Big Think, 2013), I immediately saw connections to game design principles and how games can help develop these crucial abilities.

If I wanted to assess whether someone grasped the key points from these videos, I'd ask:

"How could game design and gameplay experiences help cultivate the skills Wagner and Galinsky describe as essential for success?"

This question gets at the heart of why I'm so passionate about game-based learning. Games are uniquely positioned to develop many of the skills both experts highlight as critical.

Comparing Wagner's 7 Skills and Galinsky's 7 Life Skills, there's significant overlap:

• Critical thinking and problem-solving (Wagner) aligns with critical thinking (Galinsky)

• Collaboration (Wagner) connects to perspective taking and communicating (Galinsky)

• Agility and adaptability (Wagner) relates to taking on challenges (Galinsky)

• Initiative and entrepreneurship (Wagner) mirrors self-directed engaged learning (Galinsky)

• Effective communication (Wagner) pairs with communicating (Galinsky)

• Accessing and analyzing information (Wagner) ties to making connections (Galinsky)

• Curiosity and imagination (Wagner) links to focus and self-control (Galinsky)

Well-designed games naturally foster many of these skills. For example, puzzle games like Portal require critical thinking and problem-solving. Multiplayer games like Overcooked demand collaboration and communication. Roguelikes such as Hades encourage adaptability and initiative.

The role of asking questions is crucial in both these videos and in game design. Wagner emphasizes how students often struggle to formulate hypotheses or analyze information critically (Asia Society, 2009). Similarly, game designers must constantly ask questions to refine gameplay and user experience. In my game design courses, I encourage students to always be questioning: "How can this mechanic be improved?" "What if we changed this rule?" "How will players respond to this challenge?"

This connects directly to my action research plan on implementing a gamified blended learning project about growth mindset and neuroplasticity. By framing learning as a game, with clear goals, feedback loops, and opportunities for "leveling up," we can cultivate the very skills Wagner and Galinsky emphasize.

So why consider these fundamental learning issues when measuring innovation strategies? Because true innovation in education isn't just about new technologies or methods – it's about fostering the underlying skills and mindsets that enable lifelong learning and adaptation.

By integrating game design principles into our teaching, we can create learning experiences that are not only more engaging but also more effective at developing these essential skills. Games provide a safe space to experiment, fail, and try again – key components of both growth mindset and innovative thinking.