ABSTRACT
Game-based learning represents new territory for most schools, yet many students invest a great deal of their free time and energy in the virtual online world, becoming enthusiastic “gamers.” Parents report they often have to pry their children away from video games for dinner and bedtime. The challenge for educators, particularly in gifted education, is how to craft a force that can be equally as captivating in schools. Teachers and administrators want to accelerate and extend the ability of gifted students to become critical thinkers and to solve problems in a variety of situations, and simulation and gaming is an important teaching tool to help accomplish this objective. This chapter suggests guidance on when it is the right tool to use, and more importantly, it provides action steps to design ways to use simulation and gaming in the classroom. Debriefing or processing encourages gifted students to analyze their experiences and capitalize on the full learning potential of the strategy.
