Educational researchers Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer developed the GAME plan outline (2009) to help teachers become metacognitive learners and accomplish self-directed learning. The acronym simply means: set a Goal, take Action to meet the goal, Monitor progress, Evaluate whether the goal was achieved, and Extend learning into new situations. Of course, these are steps we hope our students will also take; especially in 21st Century learning environments, self-directed learning becomes increasingly important.
Although teachers still facilitate learning, we are no longer expected to be the source of all information. Instead, we often are helping our students to find the resources that will let them achieve our content area standards and then continue customized learning. The GAME plan is a good fit for this approach, especially when we are working with technology because technology changes so quickly and so many options are available; few teachers will be able to teach students everything they might want to know within all technologies. Instead, teachers must help students be self-directed learners.
After determining which standards students need to master, I can offer a variety of options for learning and assessment, and students can choose among these options if they are armed with their own GAME plans. To accomplish this with my seventh graders, I might begin with a graphic organizer, modeling how I learned a new technology by beginning with a Goal, taking Action, Monitoring my progress, and Evaluating and Extending my learning. Students could then use the organizer to develop their own GAME plans, allowing them more choice and increasing engagement in learning.
The International Society of Technology in Education has developed standards for both students and teachers, and these standards often mesh neatly. The standards for teachers (2008) are: facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity; design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments; model digital-age work and learning; promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility; engage in professional growth and leadership. Notice that these coordinate with ISTE’s standards for students (2007): creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; research and information fluency; critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making; digital citizenship; technology operations and concepts. Further, the teacher standards do not suggest that teachers should provide all the information students may want; instead, teachers are to facilitate and inspire, provide opportunities for learning, and model digital-age learning and responsibility.
Helping my students to create their own GAME plans will lead them to become self-directed learners, which will be an important skill for success in the 21st Century.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate
Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
International Society of Technology in Education.). 2007. National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) Students. Retrieved June 15, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/content/navigationmenu/nets/for_students/nets_s.htm.
International Society of Technology in Education. 2008. National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Retrieved June 15, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm.
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