Identity and Learning

Identity is the combination of experiences, social skills, physical attributes, ethnicity, religious affiliation, social interests, etc., into one person. It is the way in which we see ourselves and others see us. Some aspects are fixed, at the least for the moment, and some we are able to change or improve. This applies not only to our “real” selves but to the “virtual” selves we create upon entering certain roles in life or through games. Everyone has a variety of roles they play in real and virtual worlds. This could be parent, child, student, teacher, employee, employer, or in the case of games a character embodied in an avatar. Just as our various roles overlap, so do many aspects of real or virtual identities.

In gaming and in life, there are certain aspects we can change about ourselves, some cannot be changed. In gaming, the game design decides the types of characters you can choose to be, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. In life, we are born with a certain gender, ethnicity, physical appearance, and mental ability. Some of these can be altered, i.e. weight or hair color, and some are unchangeable, as in ethnicity. Though we have control over our views, goals, and values and how we present them to the world, we do not have control over how others perceive us. We may choose to act in ways that make us more or less “likeable” to certain groups, but ultimately it is up to them to choose an opinion of us. In addition, identities can influence the way we see ourselves or our possible selves.

Through gaming, players create new identities by choosing existing characters and endowing them with attributes of their choosing. In this way, the character is only partly designed by the player. However, most players become increasingly committed to being “true” to the character and make choices based on what they feel the character “should” have done. In this moment, the player reflects on “who the character will be,” and “what history should they have.” (Gee 51) This creates the projective identity, the sense of ownership of this character as your creation and responsibility.

In the classroom, students must be “willing to see themselves in terms of a new identity.” (Gee 54)  This new identity must be one that does not directly conflict with existing identities. For example, a former student of mine expressly stated that she “didn’t do good in English,” and “it was just too hard.” It would be impossible for her to adopt the identity of “one who likes to write” or “one who enjoys reading.” Gee contends that this identity must be repaired before any real learning can occur. I agree with this wholeheartedly. The three principles of “good teaching” that Gee outlines include “enticing them to try,” “enticing them to put in lots of effort,” and providing a way for them to “achieve some meaningful success.” (Gee 58) In other words, make it interesting, make it worthy, and give it value.

In the particular instance given above, I used her love of vampire movies to entice her to try reading Stephanie Meyer’s novel, Twilight. It was a novel above what she considered her reading level, but was actually within her abilities. She had explained to me that she had never been able to finish a novel because it got to be “too hard.” Within a few days, she had become so engrossed in the story that I heard other teachers complaining about her constant request for silent reading time. After a few weeks, she had completed the 700+ page novel and was rewarded with the opportunity to attend a “Twilight Premiere Party” hosted by the school librarian on the day the movie came out in theaters. The party was only open to those who had read the complete novel. In addition, she was surprised by her parents with tickets to the movie. At the end of the year, she informed me that she “never thought [she’d] be a reader!”

In addition to seeing yourself as a learner, you must also have experiences through which the material is given meaning. Gee refers to this as embodied meaning. Humans learn best through concrete examples rather than abstract ideas. When learners have an opportunity to see an abstract idea put into practice in a concrete way and are then able to experiment with it, they are able to more easily understand it. He gives the example of students using a computer program to simulate the application of Galileo’s principles of motion. The simulation takes the abstract and gives it a context and thereby a meaning.

Humans use their experiences, and thereby the embodied meanings of the information, to create patterns that help them solve problems. By presenting information within a suitable context, learners can engage the material, understand it, and use it to create new patterns.

Discussion Questions:

1.      What types of material intelligence can we equip English students with to allow for more creative thought and greater understanding of writing concepts?

2.      Can students who have reached the college level have damaged identities? Can they still be repaired or are they irreparable?

3.      Are students’ identities as learners being further damaged or strengthened by the current school setting?