The board game that was more than a game!!

Visualise a scenario like this –

You are amongst a group of 11 to 12 friends, with a board game all set to be played. This is a board game you haven’t heard of, let alone played. You see the name of the game on the box which reads ‘Codenames’ and you make your own assumption – that this is a game that needs some kind of a detective thinking. Just an assumption and you could be right or wrong or both :-).. And if you are with a group, where except for two people all others are unfamiliar with the game, the number of assumptions could be many!!

You haven’t had any time to read the instructions of the game – imagine each person of the group of 11 or 12 passing the box around and reading!! So much time it would take!!

So one of the two or both who are familiar with the game, explains the game and the materials used in the game. As the instructions are being given, the materials are also laid out.

– What will you do? Listen to what is being explained or see what is being laid out?

– Assuming you do both, which one would capture more? The ears or the eyes?

– Assuming you either listen or see, will you capture everything or only what either one the absorbs?

– How many instructions will you be able to pay attention to, before you lose track?

– As you are processing one instruction, are you likely to lose listening to the next one or two?

– What if you have no exposure to playing board games? How different will all of the above be?

Listening and processing does not mean that understanding has happened; and because you may want some clarity, you want to ask questions. Since many others in the group are in the same boat, your chance to clarify may have to wait. By the time, your turn comes, you may have lost your question 🙂

So the game starts and you are still trying to process and comprehend, because you either haven’t grasped all instructions or what has been grasped hasn’t been understood or what has been grasped and understood looks different when the game is actually played.

You play the game based on what you have understood and that can be very different from how the game is to be played. That evokes its own confusion and some laughter; and some face palming of course

You complete the game and you maybe slightly more learnt about the game than what you were, when you started. Now, how will it be when the game is played the next time, with the same group or any other group in the same or any other setting, is anybody’s guess.

You can now stop the visualisation and relate to what follows 🙂

This is how it maybe for any one of us individuals ( children / adults – with or without special educational needs) to process / understand / implement a set of instructions, of an activity that they really haven’t had any exposure to. This could be in any environmet – at an educational institution, at workplace, at home etc

So many factors at play here, for learning..

– Terminology

– Vocabulary

– Language

– Environment

– All the sense organs at work

– Flow of instructions

– Interest

– Primary learning styles – some of us are auditory learners .. some of us are visual learners, some of us are kinesthetic learners and some of us are tactile learners.. and some of us learn thru’ a combination of two or more styles.. etc etc etc.,

It was indeed interesting how observations of a game can lend so many thoughts and lead to a blog like this!! And also leading to learnings about the process of learning..

• When we engage with each other, we are co-learners. At any point in time, even if we are teaching someone, we are also learning
• Learning is time-engaging; and the paradox is that we want to move on to the next and next and next
• It is good to stay for a period of time in learning just ‘this’ and not looking at ‘next’
• Each of us take our own time and space to learn something
• We can laugh thru the process of learning, at and with ourselves; if we allow ourselves to
• Last but not the least – make learning a pleasure.

Life gives so many situations to learn from, and can’t but bow in gratitude to the opportunity to be a life-long student!!