{"id":5295,"date":"2015-08-12T09:00:24","date_gmt":"2015-08-12T15:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/?p=5295"},"modified":"2015-08-12T10:05:16","modified_gmt":"2015-08-12T16:05:16","slug":"is-learning-really-work-or-is-it-education-that-is-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/08\/12\/is-learning-really-work-or-is-it-education-that-is-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Learning Really Work, or is it Education that is Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-5332\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/ID-10097423.jpg\" alt=\"ID-10097423\" width=\"289\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/ID-10097423.jpg 400w, https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/ID-10097423-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/ID-10097423-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px\" \/>Jim Gee says, &#8220;When we think of games, we think of fun. When we think of learning we think of work&#8221;. (P. 43, 2007, Good Video Games + Good Learning)<\/p>\n<p>Is that really true? Somewhere along the line kids begin to associate what they do in school with &#8220;work&#8221;, where &#8220;work&#8221; is seen to be unpleasant. I have yet to meet a single 6-year-old who feels that way, so what happened?<\/p>\n<p>Is it really learning that we dislike, or is it formal education?<\/p>\n<p>At some point many kids begin to associate negative feelings with schoolish subjects, yet most happily spend hours in a game and have no problem talking about what they learn there.<\/p>\n<p>OK. So the leading question is probably somewhat rhetorical, but here\u2019s one that isn\u2019t:<\/p>\n<p>What qualities does a low-budget educational game need to have in order to avoid being lumped in with all the other &#8220;education&#8221; they are required to do?<\/p>\n<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-5295'><a class='like' href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(5295);\" title='' ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-likes\/images\/like.png\" alt='' border='0'\/><\/a><span class='text'>Be the first to like.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class='like' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(5295);\">Like<\/a><\/div>\n<div class='unlike' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.unlike(5295);\">Unlike<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span>Jim Gee says, &#8220;When we think of games, we think of fun. When we think of learning we think of work&#8221;. (P. 43, 2007, Good Video Games + Good Learning) Is that really true? Somewhere along the line kids begin &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/08\/12\/is-learning-really-work-or-is-it-education-that-is-work\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,9,24],"tags":[41,393],"class_list":["post-5295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academia","category-educational-technology","category-teaching-learning","tag-education","tag-teaching-learning"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Hsb6-1np","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2814,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2012\/09\/21\/theories-of-games-and-interaction-for-design-3-3-queries\/","url_meta":{"origin":5295,"position":0},"title":"Theories of Games and Interaction for Design (3: 3 Queries)","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"September 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"These are public postings of my writings for the first course of the Graduate Certificate Program in Serious Game Design and Research at Michigan State University. Each week, we are also required to post three questions for the rest of the class. These are mine. Please note: these posts are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4720,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/04\/06\/game-based-learning-vs-game-pedagogy\/","url_meta":{"origin":5295,"position":1},"title":"Game-Based Learning vs Game Pedagogy","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"April 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Putting\u00a0everything that has to with learning and games under one name obscures the complexity of the field. We should use TWO terms: Game-Based Learning for the learner's perspective, and Game Pedagogy for the teacher's perspective. bookblog:game-based_learning_vs_game_pedagogy [Magic Bullet Games].","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3332,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2013\/04\/18\/are-we-teaching-our-kids-to-not-learn\/","url_meta":{"origin":5295,"position":2},"title":"Are We Teaching Our Kids to NOT learn?","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"April 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm currently teaching an online graduate course in Digital Game Based Learning. It has included some great discussions about all kinds of things. Erin Lerouge (one of the class members) wrote a few comments on Seymore Paperts classic article, \"Papert, S. (1998). Does Easy Do It? Children, Games, and Learning.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4739,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/04\/04\/learning-theories-for-dgbl\/","url_meta":{"origin":5295,"position":3},"title":"Learning Theories for DGBL","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"April 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Another sneak peek to my book. This one outlines learning\u00a0theories relevant to\u00a0GBL. \u00a0 \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/classification_of_learning_principles_5.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/classification_of_learning_principles_5.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/classification_of_learning_principles_5.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6994,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2018\/08\/13\/just-in-time-for-the-start-of-term-the-guide-to-simulations-and-games\/","url_meta":{"origin":5295,"position":4},"title":"Just in time for the start of term&#8230;The Guide to Simulations and Games","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"August 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Available for a limited time for $9.99(US) with this coupon.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7821,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2026\/03\/25\/on-learning-through-playful-experiences\/","url_meta":{"origin":5295,"position":5},"title":"On Learning Through Playful Experiences","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"March 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a podcast interview I did recently. https:\/\/www.universityxp.com\/podcast\/160 In this episode of Experience Points, serious games expert Katrin Becker explores why \u201cgood enough\u201d may be more powerful than perfection in gamified learning. She argues that focusing on defined criteria rather than comparison increases student agency and supports a wider\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Assessment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Assessment","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/assessment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/good-enoughs-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5295"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5338,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5295\/revisions\/5338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}