Section 4: Games and toys
Popular games and toys are constantly changing, although there are some long-standing stalwarts in the popular toys charts, such as Barbie dolls or Action Man. In order to enable student teachers to reflect on the changing nature of the children’s toy industry, they could be asked look at the list of children’s favourite toys from 1965 – 2004 on the British Toy and Hobby Association website and consider what the list tells them about changing childhoods:
http://www.btha.co.uk/publications/info_school_students8.php
Student teachers could then consult the page, from the same website, which outlines facts and figures on toys from the latest year data is available and make a list of the issues that they feel would be most relevant to the age of children they will teach:
http://www.btha.co.uk/publications/info_school_students11.php
Student teachers could then design leaflets which represented some of this information for pupils and could identify ways in which these leaflets could promote literacy activities in the classroom e.g.
Pupils could be asked to:
- Note the most surprising facts and figures
- Write about how information in the leaflet compares to their own ownership and use of toys
- Write a newspaper article about children and toys based on the leaflet
One of the most controversial aspects of children’s play is with computer games. This subject has engendered much debate in the media. Student teachers could conduct a review of this debate in order to inform their own understanding of the issue. They could be directed to the following overview:
Computer Games and Learning
Why do we think it's worth talking about computer games and learning in the same breath?
By Keri Facer, Head of Learning Research, Futurelab
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/research/discuss/02discuss01.htm
Once student teachers have had the opportunity to consider the issues in depth, they can be encouraged to think of ways in which computer games can be used in the classroom to promote literacy. For example, children can:
- Compile a database of favourite games
- Write instructions and ‘cheats’ for favourite games
- Develop reviews of popular games
- Interview members of their family about their game-playing and write this up as a report
Children can also be encouraged to write stories based on computer games. Bearne and Wolstencroft (2005) have analysed children’s stories based on computer game narratives and have demonstrated how complex some of the resulting story structures are.
Children can also develop their own computer games using specialist software, of course – see the sections on media and ICT on this website.
 
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