Games in Education 2015

What really drives learning?  When we allow for student choice and interest to enter the learning environment we provide authentic opportunities for students to have agency as they are empowered about the learning process. Students rarely have opportunities to make choices about learning.  Why not?   Games provide a natural fit for tapping into student interest when it comes to learning as students make authentic choices, solve real problems, and demonstrate their creativity.  As educators we can model passion, learn alongside our students, and encourage them to find and pursue their passion.  This session will highlight educators that clearly bring their passion and invite student passion into the learning environment with great results.  While full on education reform takes time and may seem daunting, embracing passion in learning can transform your practice and the experience of your students.  Games are not the only vehicle to bringing passion into school but they certainly tap into the interest of so many making game based learning a strong frame of reference for passion-driven learning.