Learning, one microworld at a time

Rieber's (1996) article, even though it was written over twenty years ago, brings several considerations about the relationship between game and learning that are relevant to this day. At a time when constructivist ideas in the field of Instructional Technology (or, as we call now, Learning, Design, and Technology) were still being discussed in preliminary stages, the author directs the spotlight to the learner, that, in a gaming context, would be the player.

Personally, one of the major takeaways from this article was the discussion on self-regulated learning and its effectiveness. When learners are able to progress at their own pace, they can get a stronger foundation that might be useful for a future task. It is hard for me not to think of the now world famous Khan Academy (http://khanacademy.org), which contains classes in a variety of subjects and allows learners to take their time learning concepts and developing knowledge without time and space constraints. Seeing Khan Academy's fame and success, one could argue that their user-centered characteristic is an example that should be taken consideration in distance learning, education as a whole, and gaming.

Additionally, Rieber's (1996) concept of 'microworlds' was really intriguing. Having the user as a focus, a microworld "must match the learner's cognitive and affective state" (p. 46). That said, in order for a simulation to be considered a microworld, my understanding is that it needs to be compatible with learners' educational background and possible emotional states that may arise from the interaction with the simulation. For instance, if one is not familiar with the knowledge that is required to drive a car, a driving simulation will not be meaningful, and thus cannot be considered a microworld. After researching "microworlds", I also found a very interesting website that offers products related to learning from microworlds - http://www.microworlds.com/.

As I think about my own artifact, the idea of microworlds needs to be on my mind. By designing an interactive experience using a classic of Brazilian or Portuguese literature, I need to remember who my end users (or players) will be - at the moment, I am thinking about intermediate and/or advanced learners of Portuguese at the college level. That said, the language, as well as the graphics, must be somewhat equivalent to what these learners know, plus what I want them to learn, in this case, the literary content and relevant characteristics related to the period it was written. As time goes by, my ideas start to take a more or less defined shape.