There are three key factors that need to come together for better learning. Engagement, focus, and the motivation to correct errors. Interest to learn comes from the framing of a concept or problem. If the framing is novel and exciting, it elicits engagement. Focus flows from engagement and narrows attention to the problem at hand. If one is engaged with a problem, then there is motivation to find the right solution. Games provide an environment where these three factors come together in a synergistic manner.
Games can be quite effective in increasing the interest and engagement of students in the classroom. They bring novelty, excitement, and an element of competition that propel the student towards action. A few examples of games used in classrooms can include.
Teaching language:
Teaching prepositions (On, In, At, Over, Under, Above, and Below) through motor skills and movement (Jump ‘over,’ crawl ‘under,’ climb ‘up’ etc).
Teaching phonics by gamifying the correlation between sounds and the written alphabet (guessing games by giving auditory clues and asking students to write down the visual equivalent and vice versa).
Vocabulary and basic mathematics:
For primary students, games such as hangman, word ladder, etc to improve vocabulary. Tricky tables and random tables to improve basic arithmetic. Quizzes in social studies to add excitement to the class.
STEM subjects:
High School students can be taught STEM subjects through gamification. Statistics can be taught through sports data (having students role-play as experts analysing an international sports team’s performance), and physics concepts such as friction, momentum, etc can be taught through robotics or even R C models.
The advantage of games is that there is immediate feedback. When a concept is presented in the form of a game, a student needs to recall and apply it for a brief time. So, gaps in learning can be discovered quickly and teachers can address them. Students are also receptive to feedback since they are motivated to improve their performance.
There are several compelling reasons to include gamification in learning.
- Games bring novelty and excitement
- They build a positive association with the subject matter in the minds of students.
- They motivate students to explore the concept in depth
- They encourage creative thinking and increase focus.
The key to learning is error correction from feedback. We learn a topic, apply it, and correct our mistakes and misconceptions so that they are not repeated. Being motivated to learn from an error is key to faster learning. Games provide that motivation. When an error is made in a game, we tend to remember it and work towards ensuring that it is not repeated. And the positive association built with a subject motivates deeper learning.
However, it is important to note that gamification does not replace theory. It is essential to first present the theory to the student so that they have a framework in their minds. When students have to practice problem-solving with the concept, that’s when games are effective. This is so because they have a skeletal level understanding of the concept and games motivate them to work towards a deeper understanding by challenging them in a fun way.
Students are keener to learn when they solve problems through gamification. It is an effective tool for learning faster.
Views expressed by Dr Sindhura, Director, The Narayana Group of Institutions.
