ABOUT

Raleigh HIlls 8th graders in Washington DC after they presented STUDENTSOURCE to the national SETDA conference. Read more HERE.

Today’s children are living in the most stimulating, media-rich, and interactive environment in the history of the earth. Education is in stiff competition for the mind space of our children.

Volumes of behavior research compiled over the last 40 years (chronicled in Daniel Pink’s book, Drive) have presented us with a picture of what motivates humans on a deep level. Broken into its essence, there are three things that motivate human beings: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. In addition, emerging brain research gives us a picture that resonates with decades of experience: every single human brain is different. Learning is diverse and students do not all learn at the same pace or in the same ways. Finally, game theory, a hot topic among educational researchers, gives additional insight into how children learn complex thinking and perseverance through game play, and also how we can utilize the aspects of great video (and other) games to enhance the effectiveness of our learning environments and experiences.

StudentSource, a games-based, interactive learning program developed by teacher G Douglas Bundy in collaboration with Principal John Peplinski and students at Raleigh Hills K-8, provides nearly 20,000 elementary students in technology specials class an environment where they are given great autonomy and the opportunity for mastery and purpose at their own pace.