Video game as learning model—a revolutionary idea, born of technology. Video games require players to acquire and apply information simultaneously and to learn skills to advance. Completing a level or winning a game proves mastery. In a quest to shift the focus of education to navigation, problem solving, and innovation, James Gee and other thought leaders look to video games as immersive, engaging examples of the intricate learning our schools should promote. What would education—and the relentless barrage of tests children take—look like if completion actually signaled mastery? Hear a literacy expert who studies assessment and participatory learning outline a vision for education that’s geared to an entirely new generation of learners—and clearly relevant to the fast-moving times in which they live.

This annual lecture recognizes a generous multiyear grant from the Spencer Foundation, which seeks both to support and disseminate exemplary research about education, broadly conceived.