Put More Fun Into Teaching & Learning: Ron Gross

Ron Gross wrote an interesting article which talks about the use of games and simulations in adult education.

Get the article at-
http://adulted.about.com/od/teachertoolkit/a/games.htm

When I have something new to teach, or to learn, my first thought is: How can I create a "structured experience" around mastering this knowledge or skill?

"Structured Experiences" are games and simulations which make adult learning more enjoyable, more relevant, and more powerful.

Just remember how involved you got in playing Monopoly as a kid. "Puleeeeeeeeze don't let me land on Boardwalk with two hotels...!" "How about trading my two railroads for that third green property you've got?" "You can't build on that - it's mortgaged!"

How readily you learned new skills of negotiation, of calculating advantages and disadvantages, of estimating probabilities ("Should I build now -- what are the chances that he'll land on me in his next turn...?").

You have probably had other experiences of learning through structured experiences, both in school and in your work-life.

You may have engaged in a mock UN in high school - or a mock court in Law School. If you studied Business, you probably played the legendary, "Game of Business" which hundreds of thousands of B-School students have gone through (but did you know there's a version for Marxists, titled "Class Struggle"?).

In adult life, you may have participated in "war games" in the military, or in simulated drills as part of Civil Defense readiness. Even when not motivated by threats, thousands of people take part in re-enactments of famous battles of the Civil or Revolutionary Wars, for fun-filled learning. "There's no way you can get a sense of what those battles were like, from a book," says Dick Sheffield, a "re-enactor" in Lexington, Kentucky.

All these structured experiences - from our childhood Monopoly games to a simulated CD drill -- exemplify the benefits and advantages of using games and simulations in adult learning.

Most important: you can concoct your own structured experiences to address your own learning needs - or those of your students if you're a teacher.

Here are the four principles to follow in creating your own learning games and simulations - for yourself or others.

1. INVOLVEMENT: Make your structured experiences participatory. Give everyone a role in which they can contribute throughout the game. Encourage them to use their creativity to enliven their part.

2. RELEVANCE. Reflect the real-life circumstances as much as you can, through references and details.

3. EXCITEMENT. Make your simulation exhilarating. Generate energy and commitment with whatever's appropriate, such as some simple costuming, costuming, music, placards, etc.

4. BONDING. Games provide a common experience from which you and your co-players can reflect on the challenges you've been through together. Debrief afterwards to share learnings.

Here's an example of how I used these four principles recently to create such a learning situation. As you read it, think about how you might use similar approaches to turning one of your upcoming learning or teaching experiences into such a game.

A group of meeting planners -- the folks who design those gigantic annual conventions for professionals in every field, from law to telecommunications -- needed to learn better ways to handle the challenges they face. They were from widely diverse groups, including the American College of Physicians, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Illinois Institute for Continuing Education, and the Cable TV and Marketing Society.

They invited me to give a session at their annual conference. They had in mind the usual thing: a lecture format with a hundred chairs pointed north, and a podium facing south. In the business, they call this a "sage on the stage" presentation.

But I asked myself: how might I turn this into a structured learning/teaching experience? How might I get the participants more active, and become a "guide at your side"

So I sat the attendees at round tables seating ten -- with a flip-chart adjacent to each table.

I announced that each group was a start-up firm in their industry - a brash new company that was determined to make its mark in the field.

To start them off, I asked them to name their firm, and to give it a catchy motto. Within six minutes, they'd concocted such monikers as, "Marathon Meeting Managers: We stay with you all the way to the finish line!"

Now, each firm got its first contract - to provide Speakers, Facilities, and Services for a major national meeting. I gave them 30 minutes to formulate their presentations.

My strategy here was to free up their thinking. We could have all sat around and talked about real problems which each of them were experiencing in their organizations. That would have had some value - but they could do that on their own. I wanted to jack them out of their specific situations ("My boss would never go for that!") By turning their common challenges into a shared experience, I provided a fresh playing field. That enabled them to be more creative, and to compare their solutions with those from other groups.

Mid-way through their work, I introduced a fresh turn in the game. "You have just gotten a call from Donald Trump's office. He's responding to your proposal that he keynote your conference- but he wants to know what advantages are in it for him, and he wants a call back so that he can make his decision, within six minutes. Prepare your script for that conversation!"

Through this simulation, I was easily able to "work in" 70% of the material I would have covered in a lecture - but with much more involvement and much more impact. (The other 30% I provided in hand-outs.)

"We really sharpened our thinking that morning," said Charles Bingaman afterwards. "Structuring the time together as a game got us involved, active, and imaginative. This is a great way to learn to perform in your field."