Chapters * Title * Contents * Introduction * Place * System * Design * Using * Future * Bibliography
Sections
* Place * Constructionist * Evocative * Crystallizing * MediaFusion * Organizing * Why * Glass * Multiplayer * Reflection * MUD
A Context for Reflection
The most important learning tends to occur after the game playing is over (Lederman 1992), when participants construct
understanding by reflecting on their experiences. This reflection may be an individual act, but as is pointed out in (Bereiter
and Scardamalia 1993) reflection is often a social act or directed at a social purpose. Researchers may work late nights alone,
but it's with an eye to publishing and speaking at conferences or having people read their theses.
Interesting gains have been made in the effort to apply the lessons from the field of computer supported cooperative work to
the classroom (Scardamalia and Bereiter 1994). CSILE (Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment), for instance,
provides logistical support to reinvent the classroom along the lines of a research team. Students write down their
observations, and participate in peer review of their fellow students' contributions.
MarketPlace takes a different approach. MarketPlace activities are games; they provide a focus for the discussions. The social
dynamics of the game lead naturally into discussions of the economic phenomena that drive those dynamics. Producer and
consumer, polluter and anti-pollution crusader, each role provides a valuable perspective from which to begin to look at the
complex world of economics.
Aren't there disadvantages to casting simulations as competitive games? Doesn't the game form constrain exploration? Don't the
needs of the game form often distort the expression of the model? Yes, but the same distortions and constraints that make games
problematic destinations make them good introductions to a complicated domain.
The key in avoiding the pitfalls of constraint and distortion lies in seeing the game as part of a larger system of approaches
for learning about markets. MarketPlace's job is to provide a compelling presentation of important market concepts. The
discussions that happen around the system and the players ability to act upon their interest are critical adjuncts to this
simulation environment. Players need to be able to enter fully into their roles and then pull back to understand their
experiences in context.
Greg Kimberly/gregkimb@gak.com