Demystifying Philosophy through video gaming: Teaching Diller’s perspective of angles through Braid
Biographical Sketch
Yacine Kout is pursuing a PhD in Educational Studies with a concentration in Cultural Studies at UNC Greensboro. His research interests include video gaming, online communities, and critical pedagogy. He has presented at national and international conferences on critical video gaming through autoethnographic approaches. Yacine is also a community activist. He advocates for the education of school and community leaders in regard to immigrant and refugee populations in Greensboro, a resettlement city.
Type of Presentation
Individual presentation
Brief Description of Presentation
Hytten calls for demystifying philosophy in regards to the misconceptions students carry towards it. In this paper, I share how I use Braids, a video game, to teach my students one of the "particular habits and dispositions toward inquiry:" Diller's perspective of Angles, the capacity to view “contrasting interpretations of teaching and learning.” I show how I encourage my students to view the idea of failure in a new light, to contrast it with their experience of failing as a student, and to question their future practices as an educator.
Abstract of Proposal
The teaching of philosophy in education is a difficult endeavour. Hytten writes that “there are a variety of reasons why philosophy of education, and even more broadly, the teaching of theory, is not more central and/or integral in teacher education programs” (2008, p.188). She lists the interwoven core issues of “misperception” of philosophy and “negative experiences and associations” students make with philosophy (2008, p.188). In order to address this issue, Hytten writes that we need to “demystify philosophy.” (2008, p.191). She explains that in order for our students to reflect on and about their practice, we need to help them “develop particular habits and dispositions toward inquiry” (2008, p.189) In this paper, I will show how, in my cultural foundations class, I use media to teach one of these philosophical dispositions: Diller’s perspective of Angles, the capacity to view “contrasting interpretations of teaching and learning” (1998, p.4). I share how I use a video game called Braids to encourage my students to view the idea of failure in a new light, contrast it with their experience of failing as students, and question their future practices as educators. I also dive into the logistic and teaching challenges I face in tackling philosophy through video gaming.
Diller, A. (1998). Facing the torpedo fish: Becoming a philosopher of one's own education. Philosophy of Education Archive, 1-9.
Hytten, K. “Unsettling Beliefs: Teaching Theory to Teachers.” Unsettling Beliefs: Teaching Theory to Teachers, IAP/Information Age Pub., 2008, pp. 185–200. Teaching theory to teachers, 185.
Location
2018
Start Date
2-24-2018 2:50 PM
End Date
2-24-2018 4:20 PM
Recommended Citation
Kout, Yacine, "Demystifying Philosophy through video gaming: Teaching Diller’s perspective of angles through Braid" (2018). International Critical Media Literacy Conference. 50.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/criticalmedialiteracy/2018/2018/50
Demystifying Philosophy through video gaming: Teaching Diller’s perspective of angles through Braid
2018
The teaching of philosophy in education is a difficult endeavour. Hytten writes that “there are a variety of reasons why philosophy of education, and even more broadly, the teaching of theory, is not more central and/or integral in teacher education programs” (2008, p.188). She lists the interwoven core issues of “misperception” of philosophy and “negative experiences and associations” students make with philosophy (2008, p.188). In order to address this issue, Hytten writes that we need to “demystify philosophy.” (2008, p.191). She explains that in order for our students to reflect on and about their practice, we need to help them “develop particular habits and dispositions toward inquiry” (2008, p.189) In this paper, I will show how, in my cultural foundations class, I use media to teach one of these philosophical dispositions: Diller’s perspective of Angles, the capacity to view “contrasting interpretations of teaching and learning” (1998, p.4). I share how I use a video game called Braids to encourage my students to view the idea of failure in a new light, contrast it with their experience of failing as students, and question their future practices as educators. I also dive into the logistic and teaching challenges I face in tackling philosophy through video gaming.
Diller, A. (1998). Facing the torpedo fish: Becoming a philosopher of one's own education. Philosophy of Education Archive, 1-9.
Hytten, K. “Unsettling Beliefs: Teaching Theory to Teachers.” Unsettling Beliefs: Teaching Theory to Teachers, IAP/Information Age Pub., 2008, pp. 185–200. Teaching theory to teachers, 185.
