We have a million ways to communicate in the workplace today – fax, email, instant message, and in-person meetings, plus a wide variety of project management programs and apps that provide space for updates and conversations. Unfortunately, most people struggle with communicating effectively in any of them – in part because we’re trying to use the same strategies and techniques for all of them. Beyond the basics of getting your ideas across, it’s important that you be able to understand what your colleagues, customers, and vendors have to say, and, when necessary to persuade them to follow your recommendations. Games teach you how to talk to other people in ways that are specific to settings and scenarios, and help you become more consistent, more concise, and most importantly more understandable in all of your communication endeavors.

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In their book, How People Learn, Bransford, Brown, and Cocking illustrate how multi-sensory learning can affect the brain. One of their studies reared rats in cages with and without play objects. The following excerpt illustrates the result of this study:
The weight and thickness of the cerebral cortex can be measurably altered in rats that are reared from weaning, or placed as adults, in a large cage enriched by the presence both of a changing set of objects for play and exploration and of other rats to induce play and exploration (Rosenzweig and Bennett, 1978). These animals also perform better on a variety of problem-solving tasks than rats reared in standard laboratory cages. Interestingly, both the interactive presence of a social group and direct physical contact with the environment are important factors: animals placed in the enriched environment alone showed relatively little benefit; neither did animals placed in small cages within the larger environment (Ferchmin et al., 1978; Rosenzweig and Bennett, 1972). Thus, the gross structure of the cerebral cortex was altered both by exposure to opportunities for learning and by learning in a social context.

https://cardboardcornerkc.com/2019/08/23/gameschooling/

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Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. Cultures create textiles with both a functional and historical purpose – stories and myths were often woven directly into the piece.

Literature Connection:
A long time ago in a place called Lydia lived a young spinner and weaver called Arachne. Lydia had a reputation for producing splendid textiles and had some of the finest spinners and weavers in the world. No spinner or weaver was more talented or gifted than Arachne.

Gaming Connection:
Patchwork is a form of needlework that involves sewing together pieces of fabric into a larger design. In the past, it was a way to make use of leftover pieces of cloth to create clothing and quilts. Today, patchwork is a form of art, in which the designers use precious fabrics to create beautiful textiles. The use of uneven pieces of fabric in particular can result in real masterpieces and is therefore being practiced by a large number of textile artists. To create a beautiful quilt, however, requires effort and time, but the available patches just do not want to fit together. So choose your patches carefully and keep a healthy supply of buttons to not only finish your quilt, but to make it better and more beautiful than your opponent‘s.

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Meteorology is the name, Weather is the game.

Literature Connection:
Like a Greek drama, The Perfect Storm builds slowly and inexorably to its tragic climax. The book weaves the history of the fishing industry and the science of predicting storms into the quotidian lives of those aboard the Andrea Gail and of others who would soon find themselves in the fury of the storm. Junger does a remarkable job of explaining a convergence of meteorological and human events in terms that make them both comprehensible and unforgettable.

Gaming Connection:
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island is a game created by Ignacy Trzewiczek, the author of Stronghold. This time Trzewiczek takes the players to a deserted island, where they'll play the parts of shipwreck survivors confronted by an extraordinary adventure. They'll be faced with the challenges of building a shelter, finding food, fighting wild beasts, and protecting themselves from weather changes. Building walls around their homes, animal domestication, constructing weapons and tools from what they find and much more awaits them on the island. The players decide in which direction the game will unfold and – after several in-game weeks of hard work – how their settlement will look. Will they manage to discover the secret of the island in the meantime? Will they find a pirate treasure, or an abandoned village? Will they discover an underground city or a cursed temple at the bottom of a volcano? Answers to these questions lie in hundreds of event cards and hundreds of object and structure cards that can be used during the game... #boardgames #geeklife #gaming #howwedokc #bibliophile #books #booknerds #quote #literature ...

How do you think gaming promotes literacy?

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What are you reading and playing this month?

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