A crucial听蝉办颈濒l听in the workplace听颈蝉听that of听problem-solving: the ability to听analyse an听obstacle and听figure out how to听bypass听颈迟.听
Many of us acquire this ability through years of experience. So why is it not taught as a fundamental part of our听education?听
It is a question Ian Livingstone听CBE听has听pondered for many years.听鈥淟earning should be about empowering kids,听not turning them into passive receptors able to regurgitate stuff that you’ve told them. It doesn’t听work:听they’ll forget that stuff,鈥� he听tells听老九品茶Cloud.听
鈥�When you’re next flying听across the Pond,听think about how the pilot learned to fly. Would you prefer听that听they learn by reading a book, or using simulation software?听Do you want them asking听‘Now what was that听I read听on page 23 again?’听
鈥�Using simulation software听–听effectively a game without the scoring听–听颈蝉听a way of听using our hands to get an engagement, which听is critical in learning. And that seems to have been forgotten about in traditional education.鈥�听
As听co-founder of Games Workshop in 1975,听Livingstone听launched the infamous Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer board games in the UK.听Also the author of 15 Fighting Fantasy gamebooks 鈥� which sold around 20 million copies worldwide 鈥� he has seen the value of 鈥榣earning through discovery鈥� first-hand.听
These 鈥榗hoose your own adventure鈥� books, which I devoured myself as a youngster, gave the reader the chance to choose their own destiny at every turn 鈥� which often led to their doom.听
鈥淚 like the social interaction of games and to learn through solving problems,鈥� he explains. 鈥淎fter we launched the Workshop, we used to run 鈥榞ames听days鈥�. A book editor at Penguin, Geraldine Cook, was amazed to see thousands of people playing D&D and asked if we would write a book about the hobby.听
鈥淩ather than doing that, we wrote 鈥楾he Warlock of听Firetop听Mountain鈥�: a book to give people that same feeling of playing the game. It was the very first branching narrative book, with a game system attached, and it didn’t sell very well at first. Then we appeared on Radio One, reading out the options and encouraging children to phone in with their choices – and suddenly it went听absolutely ballistic听and sold out everywhere!听听
鈥淏ecause they were interactive, they were听empowering:听they gave children agency. The multiple-choice system allowed them to play in many, many ways, and fail – but they would then want to start again.鈥澨�听
He adds with a smile: 鈥淎t first, they were criticised because they were called Fighting Fantasy 鈥榞amebooks鈥�: the word game always sends people into an apoplectic frenzy because they think children are doing frivolous things rather than using their time constructively.听听
鈥淭here was an eight-page warning guide put out by the Evangelical Alliance which said that interacting with demons in the books was bound to see children become possessed by the devil! And a worried housewife in deepest suburbia phoned a local radio station to say that, having read one of my books, her child levitated. The kids were thinking, ‘for 拢1.50, I can fly?’听
鈥淏ut teachers were beginning to understand the value of these books – they enabled critical thinking because children were trying to find the optimum way through the book. They increased literacy, they found later, by nearly 20%, because children really wanted to understand what each word meant, because it had a significance.鈥�听
Livingstone then got in on the ground floor of the UK鈥檚 video game industry, which witnessed a meteoric rise in the 1980s.听He would听serve as executive chairman of legendary developer Eidos from 1995-2002,听launching the听75 million-selling听Tomb Raider franchise.听
鈥淭hrough the whole period I’ve been in video games, there’s always been the sense that games are in some way trivial at best and probably harmful for children,鈥� he reflects. “It’s now slowly beginning to dawn on people that games are not just entertainment;听they’re powerful and positive tools in multiple ways.听
鈥淵ou cannot get through a game without problem-solving听鈥撎�it‘s impossible. You learn the game intuitively,听through trial and error. There’s no such thing as failure 鈥� you’re not punished for making a mistake, you’re encouraged to try again.听
“Minecraft, for example, is a wonderful creative tool, a kind of digital Lego, where children build these wonderful 3D architectural worlds and share them with their friends.听RollerCoaster听Tycoon is effectively a management simulation: design a theme park, understand the physics of the rides you construct, set the prices and staffing levels. If you do it right, the virtual customers will come to your theme park. If听they don鈥檛,听you’re not wrong听鈥撎�you听can听just tweak the parameters until you have a successful theme park.听听
鈥淎nyone can become successful over time. There’s no听sense of feeling ‘I’m a failure’; whereas an exam is an arbitrary moment in time where,听if you don’t answer听a question听right, you’re less able听than others.听That sort of standardised metric used to assess children,听to听my mind,听is wrong.听Children develop at different speeds – so why not听let听everyone feel a sense of success rather than being judged as failures early on in life?听
鈥淲e see Generation Z being bored or fidgety in class, and some of them suffering with anxiety, because they鈥檙e taught in a very traditional way which goes back two centuries. Education has not kept abreast with technology.鈥�听
In听2010 Livingstone was asked to act as听a听government听skills听champion听for听the video games sector by听minister Ed听Vaizey.听Livingstone听described听his resulting听‘NextGen’ report, co-authored with Alex Hope of visual effects firm Double Negative,听as a听“complete bottom–up review of the whole education system relating to games”.听It听led to the introduction of the computing curriculum in schools.听
鈥�We managed to convince the government to put computing on the curriculum to replace ICT, which听was largely a strange hybrid of office skills听鈥撎�learning听Word, PowerPoint and Excel听–听and gave听children no insight听into听how to听actually create their own technology,鈥� he says.听
鈥�It’s a bit like teaching how to read, but not how to write: children听need to understand how code works. They don’t necessarily have to write it – they could use middleware package, or Unity or Unreal to create content听–听but听we wanted to put children into the driver’s seat of technology, rather than in the passenger seat,听moving听them听from consumption to creativity.“听
Far from satisfied, he is now putting his name to听The Livingstone Academy in Bournemouth, part of the Aspirations Academies Trust which runs听15 schools across southern England.听Set to be opened听in September 2021, it is a science and technology academy for children aged 4-18.听
Redevelopment of former police station and court buildings will hold 1,500 pupils
Steve and Paula Kenning, CEOs of the Aspirations Academies Trust, are former headteachers who found a kindred spirit in Livingstone. 鈥�We’ve worked with more than 50 companies and,听invariably, they听can’t听find听young people with the right skills for jobs. They听have good qualifications in standardised tests, but they can’t think for themselves:听collaboration isn’t there, creativity isn’t there, critical thinking isn’t there,鈥� says Steve Kenning.听
鈥淲e want our kids to work with employees听at these companies as part of the learning process.听We particularly want to speak with tech and video game companies about听collaborating听in this way.听
鈥淲e are trying to develop more project-based learning, using computational thinking, to engage kids and challenge them.听We’re linking subjects together:听when you听make a game, you’ve got artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, game designers.听There are a听host of different disciplines.听听
鈥�We want them to go into the world of work with a different mindset,听as听problem-solvers and really good citizens for the future,听and also听happy听鈥撎�because听there听are听well over a million kids who are听currently听unemployed听because they haven’t got the right skills.听It’s a big issue.鈥�听
Livingstone adds: “[The students] will be using games as a contextual hub for learning. How can you gamify the curriculum through projects, computational thinking, computer science, to give children agency for fun, understanding and knowledge?听A qualification is nice to have, but what I’m more interested in is your portfolio 鈥� what you’re听actually able听to do.听
鈥�Digital literacy is almost on a par with literacy and numeracy. Computer science, you could argue, is the new Latin because it underpins the digital world in the way Latin underpinned the analogue world. For children to be听citizens听of the 21st Century, they need to know how this stuff works; otherwise they’ll just fall further and further behind as the world听is听transformed beyond recognition by technology.听
鈥淚f you听get them thinking this way very early on,听the听[resulting]听transferable skills听will enable them to听make a game;听work against cybercrime;听design a jet propulsion engine.听Our creativity is the envy of the world. I cannot understand why the government is intent on judging one child against another and stripping听creativity out of the curriculum听– it‘s insane!听What we have听in the UK听is an intangible asset that is world-beating. It would be a sad loss if we were not the most creative nation in the world any longer.听
鈥�I did badly in school. It was a听pretty miserable听experience听鈥撎�and听I think learning should be a joy. If I can leave a legacy听[to听say听that]听learning can be fun and听that听games are听actually good听for you听–听the听power听of play beyond entertainment听鈥撎�I‘ll be very happy with that.鈥�听
Ian Livingstone and Steve & Paula Kenning are interested in hearing from any tech or video game companies keen to collaborate and make a positive impact upon the curriculum. Please email听stevekenning@aspirationsacademies.org听
Video games