In an educational setting, the use of gamification is quickly becoming more mainstream. This revolutionary approach to teaching makes the learning experience more fun and interactive for children. Gamification can be defined as the application of game-design elements and principles to non-game concepts. Using this method of teaching has a positive impact on students in many ways and can enhance learning and make the educational process and experience better for kids and their teachers. Want to know more? Keep reading to find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about gamification in schools.
What is Gamification in an Educational Setting?
Gamification isn’t about turning the classroom into an arcade. Instead, it’s about making effective use of the techniques used in the games to boost learning and make it more enjoyable. Such techniques include scoring points, competition, and learning and following the rules of play. As kids play these games in their classroom, they are taking advantage of the very human need for socialization, mastery, learning, healthy competition, achievement status and appropriate self-expression, which are skills that translate to many other areas of life, both in school and outside school.
It Enhances Student Engagement
One of the top desires of teachers is to keep their students engaged in the learning process, both so they are getting the most out of it and so that it’s not boring. One of the most powerful reasons to incorporate gamification into lesson plans is that it boosts student engagement by capturing the attention of students and helping avoid passive learning and low interest. Gamification introduces badges, leaderboards and storylines that captivate children and make learning more fun. By making learning an interactive endeavour, teachers can experience more active participation, higher rates of curiosity and creativity, working toward goals, and increased motivation from students.
It Improves the Effectiveness of Learning
Teachers want their students to learn, and they want what they learn to stick with them. Of course, gamification isn’t the only way to achieve this, but it should certainly have a place on the list of techniques used in the classroom. Why? Because when children play games, they are immersed in an experience that dramatically increases retention and encourages them to think critically and use their problem-solving skills. Learning to code is one way of doing this, but other elements of gaming, including role-playing, can also have great benefits for the learning process.
It Personalizes the Learning Experience
Personalizing the way a child learns is one of the best ways to ensure retention, understanding and enjoyment. Not all students learn the same way, which makes gamification a valuable tool for altering the experience for each of them. Games can be adapted to skill level, offering just the right amount of challenge for each child. This helps track a student’s progress and strengths and weaknesses, which can translate to other aspects of learning. Adequate challenge and support make it easy to personalize the learning experience for each child in a classroom. A site like Code Monkey is designed for kids and is an excellent way to introduce gamification at school.
It Allows for Feedback and Assessment
Grades and comments on homework are some of the most common ways to assess a student’s progress and provide them feedback. While this can be helpful in some ways, it lacks the opportunity to provide immediate guidance for improvement. Gamification offers instant feedback by using points and levels to help a student assess their progress. This gives kids a chance to see where they can improve so that learning strategies can be modified accordingly.
Considerations to Keep in Mind
While gamification certainly has a plethora of advantages, there are some challenges to be aware of too. Perhaps the biggest disadvantage is the reliance on extrinsic motivation, which can get in the way of learning for the simple joy of it. Making sure that gamification is used appropriately and for the most benefit requires careful planning and implementation, as well as expertise and experience in incorporating it into the curriculum.
Done correctly, and with the challenges in mind, gamification in the classroom can have some mega benefits for both teachers and students. Striking the right balance is important, as children still need exposure to traditional learning methods to create a well-rounded and effective teaching environment that all students can benefit from.
