The Education Games In Primary Schools Education Essay

The Education Games In Primary Schools Education Essay While educational games might be very important to the learning process, one of the biggest downfalls of this genre is that the learning objective is quite evident to the learner and often doesnt have much meaning for the learner. In more interactive educational games, the learning objective is submerged in a rich world that creates learning opportunities [Ahuja, Mitra, Kumar Singh, 1994]. Despite the mixed success of educational games designed specifically for learning, the impact of digital gaming has drawn many educators and researchers to question how they might be used to facilitate student learning. Over the past decade, the use of educational gaming has prompted considerable attention in exploring how and why games might be powerful tools in the classroom. As a result of this interest, there are potential benefits of this for education and learning in schools. Some important reasons why educational games should be fully implemented in primary schools are enhancing learning sk ills, engaging and motivating the children and preparing them for living and working in the 21st century. The first reason why educational games should be implemented in primary schools is to enhance learning while developing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills. In playing educational games, it is evident that skills and competences are developed. Using teacher evaluations of mostly simulation and quest-based educational games found numerous skills to be developed through their use [McFarlane, Sparrowhawk Heald, 2002]. Some of the skills developed playing educational games are, strategic thinking, planning, communication, decision-making, personal skills, spatial skills and social skills. Some educational games cultivate these skills by just engaging in them. If educational games have such a great impact on the development of a child, it should be incorporated in the curriculum of our primary schools. It will create a learning-based environment in which the children can fully utilize their learning capabilities. While the curriculum set by the Ministry of Education is academic, educational games will develop the basic motor skills in children of that level. The challenge is to identify how a certain educational games would connect to the curriculum. Educational games are tools to engage children in learning. The game is the hook or the stimulus, both for the learner and, in many cases particularly at primary level, for developing a rich and wide learning context. In classes, educational games provide a particular focus in one subject, for example, Mathematics or English Language but it is still valued as a stimulus for learning. An example of an educational game is Simcity which can be used to teach aquatic habitat in the subject area of Science. Educational games offer a rich mix of audio, video, text and the manipulation of the mouse to enhance learning. There is no comparison with an inert textbook. Educational games facilitate the multiple intelligences of children such as verbal, mathem atical and spatial. The second reason why educational games should be implemented in primary schools is to engage and motivate children via a student-centered approach to learning. Children can enter environments in games that would be impossible to access in any other way, for example going back in history, understanding the complexity of running a major city, managing entire civilizations or nurturing families. Games require engagement with complex decisions by allowing the player to explore the effects of different choices and a multiplicity of variables. Ongoing and responsive feedback on choices is usually given which encourages the users to discover new limits to their abilities. Games stimulate conversation and discussion since players are able to share ideas, hints and tips in what increasingly tends to be a very lively and supportive learning community [ELSPA, 2006]. Educational games allow children to interact and the nature of the games provides three main factors for motivation: fantasy, challenge and curiosity [Malone, 1981]. Fantasy relates to the use of imagination and the childs inherent inclination towards play. It provides a way for the children to feel freedom to fail, experiment, interpret and identify. Challenge is created by the task or puzzle in an educational game and when appropriately aligned with the childs ability level, the challenge falls within their zone of proximal development. Curiosity here is the sense of testing the educational game or exploring to determine what happens if the child does a certain task. Educational game creates a way for children to be motivated at the cognitive level and in using the new technologies; these games will have a greater impact on childrens everyday lives. One excellent example of motivating children via a student-centered approach is the world education games originating from Australia. Students play Literacy, Mathematics and Science against fellow students in a live, global forum. The teachers role is a facilitator of learning. Feedback is provided for participants while they develop their ICT skills. Finally, the third and most important reason why educational games should be implemented in primary schools is to prepare the children for living and working in the 21st century. Technology has certainly taken over many aspects of life. Children of today are using computers more often as well as handheld consoles. Teachers and school leaders want their children to be prepared for the world of work and to see them inspired towards a relevant future career. Educational gaming can help equip children with the skills required to adapt to the outside world. While the Ministry of Education is slowly implementing the game-based learning in schools, teachers are using the computers in their schools to facilitate educational games and provide game-based projects to the students. Educational games will provide the learning outcomes beneficial to excelling in the higher levels of education. With technology advancing at a rapid rate, individuals will be required to have skills in computing and o ther electronic devices in the future. If educational games are implemented in primary schools, it will certainly prepare the children for the future and it will provide a new perspective of learning in schools. In conclusion, it is clear that educational games present an opportunity to engage students in activities, which can enhance their learning. Like any successful outlay, outcomes need to be well planned and classrooms carefully organized to enable all children to engage in learning. Educational games seem like a viable way for the future learner to bring their existing interests, skills and knowledge into the classroom and then use the games as a hook or stimulus to build the activities for learning around them. Educational games provide a forum for learning in a happy way while developing cognitive and psychomotor skills. It prepares the child for their future life and so it is imperative that educational games should be implemented in primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay examples -- Literary Analysis

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses Jim as the moral center of the story to depict the hardships, racial obstacles, and stereotypes that blacks endured during the era of American slavery. Dating back to the 1600’s and during the harsh cruelty of the American slave era comes the inspiring story of a black man in search of a new start. Among many other slaves, Jim is brought to an unjust, nefarious reality as he endures the oppression of racial discrimination. Throughout American history, many blacks grew up constantly bearing the unforgiving rancor of whites. A discriminating social system emerged, establishing white supremacy. Sadly, whites claimed superiority over any non-white and attacked many traits of these lower groups including their intelligence, roles in society and their emotions as human beings. In many parts of the story, Jim is viewed by the whites around him as a dullard. Jim seems to do whatever he is told with the notion that whites know best . Later Huck and Tom, both white children, devise a plan to rescue Jim from his capture. Although the two boys are significantly younger than Jim, the black slave chooses to listen to them because of the color of their skin: â€Å"Jim he couldn’t see no sense in the most of it, but he allowed [the boys were] white folks and knowed better than him† (Twain 188). During the slave era, the color white symbolized intelligence, a force to intimidate and control others. Jim’s statement reflects the insecurity that had been forged within him by the outside white force. He fails to understand the terms of the plan to set him free but understands that the immature children know what is best-- for they are white. Moreover, slavery forced blacks into many subordinate roles. S... ...ce of the times he has spent with them. At one point, Jim reflects on an incident when he has struck his child out of anger. After realizing the reason for her disobedience, her loss of hearing, he pleads to God, â€Å"de Lord God Amighty fogive po’ ole Jim, kaze he never qwyne to fogive hisself as long’s he live!† (Twain 118). He discovers â€Å"she was plumb deef en dumb†¦ en [he had] ben a-treat’n her so!† (Twain 118). With the sound of a distant whack, Jim is flooded with guilt and regret. He relates the sound to a past which he will never be able to forgive himself for. The once buried feelings for his family finally surface, vivified with a new sense of emotion for his loved ones. On the outside Jim is a slave, a black creature who endures the callous twists of life. Under his skin, however, he is a father, an honest and caring person and most importantly a human.

Accused of witchcraft Essay

Parris : Why not? Now there are no spirits attacking her, for none in this room is accused of witchcraft. So let her turn herself cold now, let her pretend she is attacked now, let her faint. (He turns to Mary Warren.) Faint!  Act 3, Page 85  This is when the court first has the idea of getting Mary to prove the other girls are frauds by getting her to pretend to faint. She will not because she is afraid of what the girls will do to her. Or cannot, for fear of the court  This is one of the highest points of tension in the whole play because everything and everyone is focused on Mary, relying on her in one way or another to either tell the truth or to lie. But there is so much pressure on Mary that she can’t say anything. The pressure builds and builds until Mary cracks then Abigail launches a perfectly timed attack. Just when people are confused about whom to believe Abigail turns on Mary and makes them believe her.  The girls turning on Mary is a dramatically effective part in act three. This is because when the girls turn on Mary you feel sorry for her due to the fact she is torn between telling the truth to the court or joining the girls again to prevent them from accusing her.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mary Warren, do you witch her? I say to you, do you send your spirit out?† Danforth, Act 3, Page 87  When Danforth asks her this question Mary snaps and pushes herself away from Proctor.  Mary Warren, Act 3, page 88  This is when Mary’s delicate relationship with Proctor breaks down and she will no longer cover for him and put herself at risk from being accused by the rest of the girls.  Abigail : (Looking about the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold): I – I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. (Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.)  Mary : (Terrified, pleading): Abby!  Mercy : (Shivering): Your Honour, I freeze! Proctor : They’re pretending!  Hathorne : (Touching Abigail’s hand): She is cold Your Honour, touch her!  Mercy : (Through chattered teeth ): Mary, Do you send this shadow on me?  Act 3, Page 87  This is when the girls first start to turn on Mary, she is a very fragile person and when they start to turn on her she doesn’t know what to do. She was used to pointing the finger of accusation not having it pointed at her and on her own she can’t cope. So she betrays the truth and goes back to the safety of the girls and being the accuser not the accused. Mary finally breaks down and accuses Proctor of witchcraft. Fearful for her own life, Mary realizes that the only way to save herself is to accuse Proctor of coercing her into attempting to overthrow the court. In this case the accusation contains some truth: Proctor did force Mary Warren into testifying, yet in this case the purpose is to promote true justice rather than to dispute it.  Elizabeth lying to protect Proctor is a dramatically effective part in act three because there is a lot of tension when Elizabeth is brought into the court. Miller uses dramatic irony when Elizabeth doesn’t know that Proctor has confessed to lechery and that they are testing her to see if Proctor was telling the truth. Elizabeth doesn’t know that it is Abigail that is being tried and so she lies to protect her husband but in fact by lying she is in the eyes of the court proving that her husband is a liar. Miller uses the frustration of Proctor as his wife is lying but there is no way he can tell her that by trying to protect him she is actually getting him into more trouble â€Å"Look at me, to your own knowledge, has John Proctor ever committed the crime of lechery! (In a crisis of indecision she cannot speak.) Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher!†Ã‚  Danforth, Act 3, page 91  You can see by this, that Danforth doesn’t give Elizabeth much choice and practically puts the words into her mouth. By saying is your husband a lecher he leaves her no choice but to say â€Å"no†. What kind of woman would call her husband a lecher in front of a court? â€Å"(There is a knock. He calls to the door.) Hold! (To Abigail.) Turn your back. Turn your back. (To Proctor.) Do likewise. (Both turn their backs- Abigail with indignant slowness) Now let neither of you turn to face goody proctor. No one in this room is to speak one word, or raise a gesture aye or nay. (He turns towards the door, calls.) Enter!  Danforth, Act 3, Page 90  The Audience feel frustrated because all that Elizabeth has to do is tell the truth and Abigail’s ruthless revenge will be stopped and the truth will be brought to light but there is no way Elizabeth could know this so she does what she thinks is the right thing and tries to protect her husband. In this scene Miller uses dramatic irony very effectively. Danforth makes the trial look fair but in fact gives Elizabeth no choice  but to lie.  Danforth : â€Å"Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher!  Elizabeth : (Faintly): No, sir.  Danforth : Remove her, Marshal.  Proctor : Elizabeth, tell the truth!  Danforth : She has spoken. Remove her!  Proctor : (crying out): Elizabeth, I have confessed it!  Act 3, Page 91  This point is the dramatic climax of the whole scene because it is the point where Elizabeth finally finds out what she has done, and she is distraught. Hale tries to reason with Danforth when he says, â€Å"Excellency it is a natural lie to tell† this shows that Hale is the voice of reason but for most of the time he is not listened to, like Proctor who spoken sense throughout – both are shut out in their ways. To save her husband from accusations of witchcraft, Elizabeth must condemn him for lechery. Miller establishes that Elizabeth is an honest woman who never lies, yet at the moment in which her honesty is most critical she chooses the noble yet practical lie that she believes will defend her husband. As Hale notes, it is a natural lie for Elizabeth Proctor to tell, yet an incredibly ill timed one; Elizabeth Proctor chooses dishonesty at the precise moment that her integrity matters the most. Act 3 of ‘The Crucible’ is so effective because Arthur Miller uses a wide variety of emotions for his characters and a good variety of action. One minute the scene can be rather quiet with just simple conversation and the next minute it can be very chaotic with characters hurling accusations and abuse at each other. The reason this play is so effective is because Miller uses moments of calm as well as moments of extreme action, if it was just action, action, action all the time the audience would become immune to it and the really important parts wouldn’t stick in your mind as much. Act 3 is relevant to the play as a whole because it is the Act where a lot of important things happen and it is the most dramatic, with a lot of tension and anger between different characters. It is what the first two acts have been building up to and you could say it is the climax of the whole play.  When Arthur Miller wrote the play, â€Å"The Crucible† in 1953 the contemporary audience could relate to the play due to the media coverage that was occurring at the time. This era was concerned with the political movement of communism; the McCarthy trials. The contemporary audience saw Miller’s play as relevant because of the effects of mass hysteria- the destruction of the community in Salem. Miller felt that the play had relevance although he didn’t write it for that.  The reason why the crucible is still so widely liked even though the witch trials are long gone is because it demonstrates the terrible effects of mass hysteria and what it can do to normally rational people.  The story reminds its readers of an ugly blemish on human history. It reminds us that man is not perfect, and that we can make mistakes. However, even with these mistakes, we can cleanse ourselves and purify ourselves by making right what is wrong.

The White Lady Cries Wolf in Rosewood - 1495 Words

Rosewood is a ghost town located in Levy County, Florida. In the early 1920s Rosewood was a developing town with churches, schools, mills and a growing population. The town was a majority black town, but that was not much of a problem until a white lady â€Å"cried wolf†. Fannie Taylor, wife of James Taylor who worked at a mill nearby, would have an affair with a white man. Fannie and her white lover got into a physical altercation that left Fannie with obvious bruises. To prevent from having to tell James about the affair she told her neighbors that a black man came and attacked her. As word spread throughout the town some people added to her story that Fannie was also raped by the black man. The thought of miscegenation is what angered the men and led to the Rosewood Massacre. During the first week of January, 1923 in Rosewood the angry white men formed a search group for the black man who â€Å"raped† Fannie. The search group murdered nearly every black man they saw and burned down a portion of Rosewood. In 1997, John Singleton directed the movie Rosewood , which told the story of the Rosewood Massacre. Overall the movie was great and included talented actors like: Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Elise Neal, and Esther Rolle. I personally was engaged with the film when it first started off, with the intimate sex scene with Jewel and Mr. Wright. Sex is intriguing for almost anyone, so to start the movie off with sex was a clever way to grab the audience attention.Show MoreRelatedMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagespermitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, website www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, (201)748-6011, fax (201)748-6008