A high school teacher uses GameBoy Advances for an innovative English class, earning praise from students
A high school teacher has found a new, and rather inventive, use for the calculator pocket holders in their classroom, and people are loving the way that they are using them to help students learn. The teacher is currently running a class that uses GameBoy Advances for English, and the feedback so far has been nothing but positive.
“I am a teacher and I use Gameboy Advances to teach English,” the original poster, who says they are a teacher in the United States, begins their thread. “I have been doing it for more than ten years.”
People immediately start reminiscing about their own school days, when cell phones were not allowed and could be confiscated if they were discovered.
“I remember when we would have to hide our Gameboys in our pencil cases and would have to sneak out to the bathroom to play them,” one person writes. “I feel like we would have gotten in trouble if they caught us,” another agrees.
While others point out the rapid escalation of cell phone usage in schools, many users applaud the idea of incorporating video games into education.
“I teach coding and game design to elementary school students,” one user writes. “It’s so much more engaging, and fun to teach and learn through video games.” Another user, who says they are an English teacher, says “I’d love to hear more about your video game-based English class!” to which the first teacher replies “I’m happy to share!”
A user with a particularly humorous tone makes a comment about grammar and punctuation, to which another replies “Well yeah, but that’s not what we’re teaching.”
Elsewhere, there is a mention of the disparity between school districts and the limitations placed on teachers. “In my former district I was told I couldn’t use them because they were too expensive,” they write. However, the original poster says that they have more freedom in their new district.
“And the casings have been securely attached?” one user asks, worrying about the safety of using the calculator pocket holders for GameBoy storage. “Yes,” the teacher replies. “I had to be careful when I attached them because I didn’t want to rip the pockets.” Another debate then ensues regarding the potential risks and proper storage methods.
Others question the effectiveness of the video game-based English class, with one person asking “How do they learn grammar?” to which the teacher replies “It’s a senior elective where they read, write, and analyze video games. We use excerpts from novels based on games to explore themes and encourage critical thinking.”
Another user expresses excitement at the idea of using video games to improve vocabulary. “I played the Legend of Zelda and the first thing I learned was the word ‘twilight’,” they write. “I’ve never used it in real life.” Another user jokes, “I have a surplus of GameBoy Advances, is your class still accepting students?”
The teacher later reveals that they have been collecting them over the years for their class, saying “I’ve been saving these for years for my Gameboy English class.”
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