Bavelier said while she has not yet studied how increased attentional skills and other brain functions affected by action video-game playing can translate into classroom learning, other researchers at the University of Oregon have begun those studies.
“In terms of education, the next step should be [to] take the violence out of action video games and use the same brain-building characteristics in these action video games to make [high] quality education games,” said Bavelier.
At the University of Oregon, researchers are studying how the brain functions affected by video games in turn can affect learning.
Helen Neville, director of the university’s Brain Development Lab, is using MRI and electrophysiological techniques to study the brain’s development and plasticity.
Specifically, Neville and her colleagues have begun a program of research on the effects of different types of training on brain development and cognition in typically-developing children of different ages.
In one series of studies, Neville is targeting the most changeable and vulnerable brain systems in three- to five-year-old Head Start preschoolers whom she studies before and after eight weeks of daily attention training, or eight weeks during which their parents receive training in parenting skills, or a combination of the two types of training.
“These studies can contribute information of practical significance in the design and implementation of educational programs,” Neville said.
Barriers to gaming
Even though students play video games at home, and current research now suggests that certain games can enhance brain functions, many educators trying to redesign their curriculum for the 21st century are still hesitant to bring video games into the classroom.
“Recognizing the types of barriers facing the educational games space is important,” says the MIT report, “for while not insurmountable, these barriers pose significant challenges and can only be overcome by a coordinated effort by funders, developers, schools, parents, and kids.”
The barriers mentioned include:
- #4: 25 education trends for 2018 - December 26, 2018
- Video of the Week: Dealing with digital distraction in the classroom - February 23, 2018
- Secrets from the library lines: 5 ways schools can boost digital engagement - January 2, 2018