Are you a teacher who feels that a game weakens the performance of the students? Or it Distracts them from their studies and are responsible for their inappropriate behavior? Well, if that’s the case then this article is tailor made for you. There are a few positive prospects about gaming that will compel you to put on your thinking cap.
For years video games have been criticized by various sections of the society yet the gaming industry has proliferated beyond boundaries. This shows the amount of interest kids have in gaming thus it has become vital for teachers to use this platform as a mode for facilitating better understanding of their students.
Gaming provides instant gratification, a feeling of accomplishment and a sense of approval that youngsters desire of. In a conventional manner, a student will prepare for the exam, then he will write the exam and will then await the result to find out whether he succeeded or not. On the other hand, in a game, the result is instantaneous. So he can quickly work on his foibles and then proceed to the next level. Thus a game, equipped with intriguing visuals and sound effects, has a very high probability of grabbing a student’s attention than a book based on the same content.
Let us consider an example, if you want to teach your students some basic arithmetic operations you will take a conventional approach by discussing fundamentals with the students and then providing them with loads of assignment as the more the practice the better the grasp the concepts. Now the long term goal is to gain a good grasp over these fundamentals, but students, while studying, think of it as a liability. Due to that within no time the assignment becomes monotonous and tedious.
Now, think of it this way, instead of asking your students to finish the assignment try asking them to complete the levels of the game; instantly strikes a chord doesn’t it. If you ask the students to play a game in which they have to rescue a princess from a fort guarded by dragons and advancement to the next level is based on solving arithmetic puzzles. Now students look at it as a task to rescue the princess, but while doing so they are actually sharpening their mathematical skills. Thus the students and teacher both have got the desired result with immense satisfaction. Also it opens several gateways to discuss various practical aspects with students which otherwise might have seemed impractical. Isn’t it great for our young ones?
Game-based learning (GBL) provides beneficial aspects for everyone: fun for students; a medium for teachers to grab students’ attention; a lot of scope for creativity; a cheap and easy source of material; and a better way to engage, teach and test students. Thus GBL is one fascinating tool that a smart educator must have in order to enthral his students with the joy of learning.
Games like crossword, scrabble, Sudoku etc. have gained immense popularity and much appreciation of masses for improving one’s vocabulary and mathematical skills. Thus the impact of gaming on the education sector is not a far-fetched conclusion and hence it’s safe to say the quicker we switch to this mode of education the better it gets for our future generations.
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