21st CENTURY LEARNING ALLIANCE


The video games and visual effects industries are


two prime examples as to why in-depth information, advice and guidance for our students is vital. Ben Arora explains


games and visual effects (vfx) industries. Things have moved on a long way from the


stereotype of the lone geek coding on his (sometimes her, but more usually his) BBC Micro. To give some idea of the scale of change it is worth comparing the production of 1984’s hit Elite with 2008’s Grand Theft Auto IV. Elite was produced by a team of two in 48 man months and grossed, in today’s money, £21 million. Grand Theft Auto IV was produced by a team of 150 in 7,200 man months and grossed £600 million. You could run Elite with 22 KB of memory; Grand Theft Auto IV needs 1.5 GB. More recently, in 2010, Call of Duty – Black Ops was the fastest grossing entertainment release of any kind in history. It clocked up sales of $650 million within its first five days on the market and has now comfortably passed the $1 billion mark. Visual effects has also undergone a revolution since


I


the much-loved stop animation of Ray Harryhausen (The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and the proper Clash of the Titans). Some of the graphics technology breakthroughs since then are based on research commissioned for the defence industry and have led to the development of sophisticated engines for rendering digital sets and crowd scenes. The effects for Inception,


T IS extraordinary that in the middle of one of the worst recessions in living memory, with youth unemployment hitting record levels, there are two industries in the UK crying out for talented individuals. Those industries should, by rights, have young people banging down the door to let them in – the video


Gaming for Life


Iron Man 2 and Avatar, to name but a few, all depended on UK companies’ expertise. For all of these successes, both industries are starting


to slip down the international rankings. There are two reasons for this, the first is tax breaks that countries such as Canada are offering to lure developers overseas and the second is the massive skills shortages the sectors face. The games and vfx sectors’ workforce is characterised by high levels of graduates, just under half of these with degrees in a STEM subject, but also a strong representation of people with an arts


Initiative and risk-taking Psycho babble


A NEW study has revealed that children in the UK are resentful of the fact that they are wrapped in cotton wool, and left with no choices about their future. They are “overprotected, increasingly unhappy and ill-equipped to deal with the challenges of living independently as adults”, claims research by the Children’s Society. Much of the responsibility for this lies with


parents. However, schooling also plays a role and there are number of things that teachers can do to provide challenges that will encourage a sense of initiative and empowerment, while preparing students to cope with a changing world. Researcher Larson (2000) notes


that because of the increasing complexity of modern life, young people need to be able to “reinvent themselves” and their life courses in response to the globalisation of society and ever-varying occupational demands. Larson has found that


encouraging initiative is the key to achieving this, defining “initiative” as “the motivation to direct effort toward achieving challenging goals and remaining determined even when things get difficult”. He says developing initiative requires three things: intrinsic motivation; deliberate, goal-directed action in real-world situations; and sustaining goal- directed efforts over time. What this means is that young people with


initiative are: personally invested in their activities; exert attention, effort and concentration in complex and challenging real-world situations; and, continue to work to achieve their goals, even if it involves re-evaluating and adjusting their strategies in the face of setbacks. In other words, they are not afraid to make mistakes and to learn from them. The problem is that many of our students are


not given the opportunity to take healthy risks and face up to challenges; equally, they do not have the chance to make mistakes. Teaching students to take initiative is key to helping them become “lifelong learners”. Two


researchers (Martinez-Pons, 2002 and Zimmerman, 2002) found that lifelong learners must be equipped to direct their own learning and development, and are characterised as demonstrating perseverance, initiative and adaptive abilities. So how can this be achieved? Research suggests the following: Larson, 2000: Create projects that (1) are youth-


based and motivate young people to determine the direction and goals of the activities, (2) engage young people in environments that include real- world challenges, and (3) involve activities that are continued over time and require young people to monitor and plan for the course ahead. Butler, 2002: Encourage students to


evaluate their performances according to objective criteria rather than the judgements of others. Schunk, 1994: Provide concrete,


process-oriented feedback instead of simply saying “good job”. Newman, 2002: Listen to young people and ask them questions, check for


understanding, and offer assistance in a caring way that does not deter those with poor self-perceptions


from seeking help. Martinez-Pons, 2002: Model


successful methods of learning and problem-solving, and provide recognition and support for students’ attempts to follow


these examples. Gollwitzer, 1999; Pajares, 2002; Schunk, 1994: Teach young people how to set specific, challenging


short-term goals, rather than vague long-term goals. Not only will this stimulate and challenge


students, but research also shows that it will deter them from risky “problem” behaviours. All of us need challenges to remain focused and


motivated. Lifelong learners can adapt to a changing world, and successfully make transitions throughout life. Above all, they will be offered choices and given the chance to develop a sense of responsibility that is empowering, encouraging self-efficacy and happiness. And that really is what it’s all about.


• Karen Sullivan is a bestselling author, psychologist and childcare expert. She returns in two weeks.


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background too. It takes high levels of technical and artistic competence to make Hogwarts pretty and, within the boundaries of suspended disbelief, realistic too. Next Gen, the recent report by Alex Hope and Ian


Livingstone, contained new research into the reasons behind the skills shortfall at all stages of the education system. It found that while pupils, parents and teachers are positive about careers in these sectors, it is striking how little they know about the subjects and skills that the industries need. Zero per cent – yes zero – of young people, parents and teachers thought that physics was


the most important subject for a career in the video games industry and only two to three per cent thought it was among the most important subjects. This is for an industry where the ability to apply, bend or suspend the laws of physics lies at the heart of many gaming experiences. The vfx sector did not fare much better. More young people and parents identified the need


for computer science and teachers were clearer on the need for mathematics and art. However, overall there was poor understanding of the link between what you learn at school and where that might take you. In many ways, this is one example of a much wider


concern about the quality of information, advice and guidance. This is a concern that will remain until the quality of the all-age careers service becomes apparent later in the year – and may even persist beyond this point. Effective guidance is crucial if we are not to starve growing industries of people with the knowledge and skills that they need and if we are not to deny young people the opportunity to have fulfilling careers in growth sectors. The mismatch between what the education system as a whole produces and what our society needs represents a criminal waste of economic opportunities and a criminal waste of young people’s lives. The National Endowment for Science, Technology


and the Arts (NESTA) is currently looking at new ways to connect young people with the knowledge and skills they will need in an innovation-driven economy – whether that is through using digital media to engage young people (www.metycoon.org) or offering learning opportunities in real world contexts (www.idiscover.org.uk). Every teacher can also play their part by directing pupils to research the options that are available to them. However, if you really want to help your students, the next time you confiscate a Nintendo DS do not give it back until they promise to learn how to programme it.


SecEd


• Benedict Arora is director of education at NESTA and a director of the 21st Century Learning Alliance. Follow him on Twitter at @benedictk or visit www.nesta.org.uk


Further information


The 21st Century Learning Alliance is a forum with wide representation from practitioners, government agencies and industry. With its combined knowledge, skills, experience and networks, the group debates difficult and sensitive issues to stimulate improvement and change through contributing expert, evidence- based challenge and advice. It aims to provide a robust link between key national educational organisations and commerce. Visit www.21stcenturylearningalliance.org


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