Many strong claims are made for the educational value of computer games, but there isa need for systematic examination of the research evidence that might support such claims. This bookfills that need by providing, a comprehensive and up-to-date investigation of what research showsabout learning with computer games.

Computer Games forLearning describes three genres of game research: the value-added approach, which comparesthe learning outcomes of students who learn with a base version of a game to those of students wholearn with the base version plus an additional feature; the cognitive consequences approach, whichcompares learning outcomes of students who play an off-the-shelf computer game for extended periodsto those of students who do not; and the media comparative approach, which compares the learningoutcomes of students who learn material by playing a game to those of students who learn the samematerial using conventional media.

After introductory chapters that describe therationale and goals of learning game research as well as the relevance of cognitive science tolearning with games, the book offers examples of research in all three genres conducted by theauthor and his colleagues at the University of California, Santa Barbara; meta-analyses of publishedresearch; and suggestions for future research in the field. The book is essential reading forresearchers and students of educational games, instructional designers, learning-game developers,and anyone who wants to know what the research has to say about the educational effectiveness ofcomputer games.

"HOW TO BE A TERRIBLE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: LESSONS FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND BOARD MEMBERS is a practical guide both for how to become an effective school board member, and for how school administrators can improve their board relations. The intended audience is prospective, present, and past school board members and school administrators. While the overwhelming majority of school board members have good motives, even people with good motives can make bad moves, even terrible moves. This book is dedicated to preventing situations in which good intentions can lead to bad outcomes. The book takes a case based approach that focuses on terrible school board member moves as the fastest and most memorable way to help one learn how to be an effective schoolboard member ,and to see, by contrast, how a successful school board member operates. Case-based learning is used in many professional programs such as business, law, medicine, and even teacher education, and research on learning by example has a strong and growing empirical research base"-- Provided by publisher.

Distilling the research literature and translating the scientific approach into language relevant to a college or university teacher, this book introduces seven general principles of how students learn. The authors have drawn on research from a breadth of perspectives (cognitive, developmental, and social psychology; educational research; anthropology; demographics; organizational behavior) to identify a set of key principles underlying learning, from how effective organization enhances retrieval and use of information to what impacts motivation. Integrating theory with real-classroom examples in practice, this book helps faculty to apply cognitive science advances to improve their own teaching.

A concrete guide to the science of learning, instruction, and assessment written in a friendly tone and presented in a dynamic format.

 

The underlying premise of Applying the Science of Learning is that educators can better help students learn if they understand the processes through which student learning takes place. In this clear and concise first edition text, educational psychology scholar Richard Mayer teaches readers how to apply the science of learning through understanding the reciprocal relationships between learning, instruction, and assessment.

 

Utilizing the significant advances in scientific learning research over the last 25 years, this introductory text identifies the features of science of learning that are most relevant to education, explores the possible prescriptions of these findings for instructional methods, and highlights the essentials of evaluating instructional effectiveness through assessment. Applying the Science of Learning is also presented in an easy-to-read modular design and with a conversational tone — making it particularly student-friendly, whether it is being used as a supplement to a core textbook or as a standalone course text.

 

 

How do people learn? How can instruction promote learning? Learning and Instruction, second edition, thoroughly and succinctly answers these two fundamental educational psychology questions. The author focuses on the big ideas, preferring that students understand a few exemplary ideas deeply, rather than numerous ideas superficially. The book is research-based and painstakingly shows how specific instructional implications follow from research and theory.  Coverage is organized around the two sides of the educational coin, learning in subject areas and instructional methods, that foster meaningful learning. The text uses clear definitions, concrete examples, active learning tasks and a conversational writing style that easily engages readers by addressing them directly.