Brain Games

Computer games have something to teach us ... and maybe even improve our brains.  The work of Adam Gazzaley at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has garnered evidence that computer games can be designed to improve brain function in such areas as "multi-tasking" or the ability to shift attention priorities rapidly with low loss of critical information. 

Parents and educators have long held the hope that the great attraction of video games might be harnessed in the service of learning.  Who hasn’t seen teens repeatedly defer homework while playing games?  What if we could make learning as compelling as a video game?  There have been many forays along these lines.  The first use of computers in education were little more than digital flashcards and, once you got used to the (then in the 1970’s) novelty of using a computer for learning, it was just as boring as using physical flashcards.  Anne McCormick, a teacher in inner city Buffalo, NY schools, re-envisioned the concept of learning with computers by creating “learning games,” such as Rocky’s Boots.  Computer game developers are adept at designing games that are highly compelling.

All learning changes brain structure, whether that learning occurs in a traditional lecture format or via video game.  But that does not mean that all learning is equal in terms of its effectiveness and its efficiency.  Traditional lecture learning, in fact, can be among the least effective ways to learn if the students are simply passively letting the lecture wash over them.  Active learning is not only more effective in terms of the amount retained, but also efficient in creating brain structures that enable the student to use their knowledge to solve problems, whether it is quadratic equations or removing a brain tumor.  This is why hands-on, inquiry science instruction is so much effective, as well as more interesting than read-the-chapter-and-answer-the-questions approaches.  Gazzalay’s work opens up the exciting possibilities of also improving brain function and underlying capabilities, as well as building knowledge structures.