A week ago my daughter finished an intensive 4-week admissions program in a coding school called "42" here in Paris. It also has campuses across 4 continents. The school has stirred controversy here in France.
Why? Because the school has no teachers. It is highly gamified and relies on peer-to-peer learning. Students are autonomous and learn at their own rate. Clearly, it is designed as a disruption of the education system
Game design is about structuring an experience to encourage desirable behaviors. The school’s gamification says a lot about its values, and the behaviors it tries to encourage. We'll take a look at them together. Given how much my daughter learned and appreciated the experience, there are lessons to be taken from the school.
In how we learn, and how we teach.