West Middle School
Students Create Video Games for National STEM Challenge
Article by: Alison Benson
Forty-two students at West
Middle School are taking their love of video games to a new level. The students
are competing in the national STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)
Challenge to create the ultimate video game from scratch. The STEM Challenge
is an activity to encourage the use of science, technology, engineering, and
math in schools by tapping into their natural love of video games. The winner
of the challenge will have his or her game commercially published.
According to the STEM Challenge
website, game-based learning is one of the most innovative ways in making STEM
topics more engaging for students, which they need for the global workforce.
"The success of complex video games demonstrates that games can teach
higher-order thinking skills such as strategic thinking, interpretative
analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to
rapid change. These are the skills U.S. employers increasingly seek in workers
and new workforce entrants. These are the skills more Americans must have to
compete with lower cost knowledge workers in other nations."
West Middle School teacher Gwen Brewster said in addition to the STEM skills, the students are learning the
value of teamwork. "The students agreed as a group that the national
winner will come from West Middle School. They want to win, but more
importantly, they want to support one another." The students have been
meeting three times a week since December to create their entries. The final
projects are due on March 12.
