CAMP TRREE Academic Leadership Academy Visits the Critical Gaming Lab

The Critical Gaming Lab in the School of Justice Studies recently hosted the participants of the Camp TRREE program (Teacher Recruitment and Retention for Education Excellence).  The purpose of the Academic Leadership Academy is to provide middle school male students from the region with the opportunity to obtain knowledge about various aspects of teacher education.  The participants spent an entire week in residence on Eastern Kentucky’s University’s campus. 

Dr. Gray, Director of the Critical Gaming Lab, provided a workshop exposing the students to different topics within Science and Technology.  While video games may often get a ‘bad rap’ as a waste of time, there are important contributions video games can make within education.  Many games have been created and some retrofitted to teach tough topics and encourage interest in these once ‘boring’ topics.  Equipped with this knowledge, the workshop provided by Dr. Gray, focused on hands-on learning as participants were exposed to topics related to the solar-system, the systems of the body, and dinosaurs. 

“It’s important to find ways for students to be active participants in their learning and video games improve their engagement with these topics,” says Dr. Gray.  “And instilling this passion early is imperative for their future outcomes.” 


And of course, there was much play after a day full of work! The pictures below reveal the fun! 

For more information on Camp TRREE, contact Dr. Norman Powell at norman.powell@eku.edu.

For more information on the Critical Gaming Lab, feel free to send an email to criticalgaminglab@gmail.com or visit the website at www.criticalgaminglab.com.