From Play To Progress: 5 Ways To Customize Your Teaching Toolkit
Have you ever seen a group of students huddled around a game? Games can change the way the classroom routines is seen. There are many benefits to incorporating games into your teaching routine. Games hold educational value. Games can provide your students with more skills than just taking turns. Game incorporated into the classroom have elevated learning. Playing games are not just fun, but a bonding session. Students are learning to master 21st Century Skills using game-inspired techniques. Here is why student learning through gamification has become so powerful.
1. Boost Engagement
Pixels to proficiency picture a classroom full of excitement as your students strategizing. Games provide access to a more engaging learning environment where your students actively participate. Research suggests that “play is an essential part of learning” (Ginsburg, 2007, as cited in Smith, 2021). It fosters social interaction, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.
2. Critical Thinking
Games are not just about rolling dice or moving pieces. Games are brain boosters. From planning strategies to adapting to unexpected moves, games can challenge your students to think critically and analytically. Studies show that games involving strategies can improve thinking skills such as problem-solving and decision-making (Anderson et al., 2020).
3. Problem-Solving
When was the last time you saw a game spark innovative thinking? Games provide scenarios that require creative problem-solving. As your students navigate through challenges, they exercise their creativity by exploring unconventional solutions. This skill transcends the game and can be applied to the real world.
4. Foster Intelligence
Emotions play an important role in learning. Through games, your students learn to manage their emotions in the environment around them. Whether it is dealing with a loss graciously or celebrating a win graciously, games nurture emotional intelligence, an important life skill.
5. Accommodate Learning
Every student is unique, and so are their learning styles. Games provide a multi-sensory approach to learning, accommodating visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. By incorporating these elements, games are able to differentiate your students’ learning, making lessons accessible and enjoyable.
Final Thoughts
Games encourage teamwork, communication, and healthy competition. These interactions create a positive learning environment, promoting empathy and understanding among your students. Games can also extends far beyond the classroom. Games require skills such as strategic thinking, teamwork, and resiliency. Games can equip your students with the skills they need to carry into the future. Games foster your students’ development and learning through playing. The invaluable lessons learned while playing games can level learning. So why not build academic achievement with the five impactful game-based teaching strategies.
Tips To Try:
You can make learning more enjoyable and interactive, boosting student motivation and enhancing their educational experience.
1. Incorporate Game Mechanics into Lessons- Points, Badges, and Leaderboards: Use points, badges, and leaderboards to reward students for completing tasks, participating in discussions, or achieving academic goals. This adds an element of competition and motivation, encouraging students to stay engaged and strive for improvement.
- Levels and Progression: Design lessons where students can “level up” as they master different concepts. For example, you can create a series of challenges or tasks that increase in difficulty, allowing students to see their progress and work toward more advanced goals.
2. Create Educational Games and Challenges- Interactive Quizzes and Puzzles: Turn quizzes and reviews into interactive games using platforms like Kahoot!, Quizizz, or Gimkit. These tools allow students to compete in real-time, making assessment more fun and dynamic.
- Problem-Solving Challenges: Design problem-solving activities where students must work together to solve puzzles, complete missions, or unlock rewards. For example, you could set up a classroom “escape room” where students use their knowledge to solve clues and “escape” within a time limit.
3. Encourage Collaboration and Social Interaction- Team-Based Competitions: Organize team-based games where students must collaborate to achieve common goals. This promotes teamwork and communication while allowing students to learn from one another.
- Classroom Economy or Role-Playing: Implement a classroom economy system where students earn virtual currency for completing tasks, which they can use to “purchase” rewards or privileges. Alternatively, use role-playing games to immerse students in historical events or literary scenarios, encouraging them to apply their knowledge in creative ways.
