Teaching has been always one of the most criticized professions. No matter what happen, society always blames the teachers and the education system. Today I was having a discussion with a friend, and, he told me that there is a very high dropout ratio among American high school students.
I was not surprised, most often teachers teach in a matter they see fit, when they should actually plan their teaching pattern according to the student’s learning behavior. Because, education is a science that was crafted purely to convey the ideas and knowledge of one to another, and it is incomplete if the message does not reach the students.
As a student, I usually found lectures boring. The same teacher, giving lectures in his dull tone, bored me. I found lectures that involved class activities more interesting, because it allowed me to truly show my potential.
For students like me, who find attending lectures boring, gamification is the solution. Gamification is a concept that involves using elements of games to make non-games fun. Basically, students who get bored listening to a lecture can be taught by involving class activities. Gamification is an interesting topic and it has shown positive results so far, I have mentioned some of the benefits below.
INCORPORATING GAMES IS BENEFICIAL FOR MATHS:
Math is a very dry subject, and to top it most students don’t even like studying it. Trust me there is hardly any student, except for the nerdy type, who enjoys a math class. Gamification can, however, change all of that. Teaching students, by involving them in games that would inculcate problem solving and calculations, is an ideal way to teach them. Students will be more focused and enjoy learning. Trever Reeh, a blogger at blogspot, has outline in his blog some of the best ways gamification can be incorporated in a math classroom. For instance, Trever listed an interactive math gaming app, Product Game, which can allow students to practice and improve their factors and multiplication skills.
GAMIFICATION INCREASES THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT:
Interestingly, most teachers complain that there is a very minimal to no class participation in their classes. This often results in students not being able to recall the lecture during exams. For such classes, gamification is an effective technique.
Gamification is an effective technique, as it involves each and every student to take part in the games. This means that the level of engagement is very high. Students often do not sit idle or get bored; instead, they are required to take active part in the class activity. In 2013, a survey conducted by the collaboration between Kaplan University and Badgeville, a gamification platform, showed a significant improvement in the motivation or engagement level of students.
VIDEO GAMES ARE BENEFICIAL FOR CHILDREN WITH AD/HD:
Generally, we get to hear that video games or violent movies make children with ADHD hyper. However, according to a scientific journal co-authored by Krestina L. Amon & Andrew Campbell, a candidate and a lecturer in the Discipline of Behavioural and Social Sciences in Health, video games can teach AD/HD children how they can control their behavior with the help of instructional video games. Such video games are beneficial as they can have a positive impact on children.
MAKING THEIR OWN VIDEO GAMES HELP:
It is said, that children who make their own video games, show a better understanding and generate more new ideas, than children who don’t. Creating video games usually involves planning, logic and taking control of their learning through trial and error. These are important skills in real life, and enhance cognitive growth within children. An online journal on Looskstein.og signifies that students demonstrate a considerable improvement in their social and cognitive growth when they use their own knowledge and skills to create video games.
GAMIFICATION HELPS IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY:
Interactive games that involve physical activity are very effective. Especially among adolescents who do not play physical games. These are mandatory for young children, because they allow students to release their strength. Since, students feel very confident and energetic after playing outside, they are also able to perform well and learn quickly in class.
Andrew Kardon, a daddy blogger at Mommysbusy, shared on his ideas on how he used gamification elements in the outside play and how it helped his kids spend more time in outdoor physical activities.
These were only a number of benefits of gamification of education, there are far more benefits than these. I hope people realize the true potential of gamification, after all the concept has been there for over a century.
