In this post, contents of educational game for learning, we covered what educational game is all about, importance of educational games, the objectives, types and components of educational game and more.
The use of current and emerging tools in education is becoming a blistering topic among educators and educational institutions. Gaming in education may be viewed as an interference to learning but its role in education is to increase students’ motivation and engagement, to enhance visual skills, to improve students’ interaction and collaboration abilities with their peers and to enable them to apply gaming values in a real-world situation.
A game is a type of play where participants follow defined rules The design of games such as word search, crossword, jigsaw puzzle, brain teasers and sliding puzzle. Games can be used as a support tool to complement traditional teaching methods to improve the learning experience of the learners while also teaching other skills such as following rules, adaptation, problem solving, interaction, critical thinking skills, creativity, teamwork, and good sportsmanship.
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Learning should not feel dull and it should not only mean rote memorization where students learn and grasp concepts through repetition or cramming. Teachers can take advantage of the energy and innovative thinking that is provided by using technology in learning to improve student performance.
What is Educational Games?
Educational games are those intentionally designed for the purpose of education, or those entertainment games that have incidental or educational values. Educational games are designed to help people understand concepts, learn domain knowledge, and develop problem solving skills as they play games.
Educational games are games explicitly designed with educational purposes, or which have incidental or secondary educational value. All types of games may be
used in an educational environment, however educational games are games that are designed to help people learn about certain subjects, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand a historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play. Game types include board, card, and video games.
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Types Of Educational Games.
Academic studies naturally coincide with rote teaching styles and textbook work. However, it is important to make learning exciting for students with interactive activities. Incorporating fun classroom games into your lesson plan offers a simple way to motivate your students, and encourage them to draw on their creativity and imagination. The following are classroom games that provide fun ways to engage your students in academic learning, without them even realizing it.
- Quizalize: This fun and engaging quiz game allows you to test your students’ knowledge, in any subject, using a motivating classroom team activity.
- Pictionary: An old classic but also a great way for students to visualize their understanding in a fun team game.
- Draw swords: This quick-fire game tests students’ fine motor skills and promotes quick thinking, as well as generating some healthy competition.
- Puzzles: This creative group game encourages students to work together and visualize academic concepts in an abstract way.
- Bingo: A quick and simple game that never fails to motivate students in their learning, whiteboards and pen or paper and pen/pencils, plus a list of subject-specific terms or concepts e.g., numbers, phonics, key vocabulary, scientific formulae, or historical figures.
- Scatter-gories: This fun game will encourage your students to think ‘outside-the-box’ and draw on a range of subject knowledge.
- Hangman: A traditional but interactive game that improves students’ spelling and subject knowledge, but is also enjoyable.
- Charades: This simple but classic game is a great way to encourage your student to get out of their seats and participate in the lesson.
Importance of Educational Game.
These days playing games in the classroom is an integral part of the learning process. We know that kids learn through play, it is very crucial to motivate and engage young learners into learning activities by transforming the traditional teaching methods such as lectures and written materials in more digital form, like games that seem to attract their interest. The following are some of the importance of Educational Games.
- More Motivation
Students become more motivated to learn, pay attention, and participate in-class activities. They can also be a great classroom management tool, helping to motivate a class. One important thing for you to keep in mind.
- Student Attentiveness
As games can move quickly, a student needs to be alert and attentive for extended periods helping them shape their attentiveness and training the brain in how to learn.
- Problem Solving
kids who designed their own cities using simulation games showed stronger problem-solving skills than peers who learned about cities in more traditional ways. playing interactive educational games may have a positive impact on children’s problem-solving skills and engage them in advanced mathematical thinking.
- Language Development
Kids develop language when they encounter it — its why reading is such a powerful vocabulary-builder — and that includes playing games in the classroom.
- Self-Esteem Boosting
There’s often a fair amount of negativity around digital gaming but harnessing kids’ love of video games for use in the classroom with games like Minecraft that can be incorporated directly into a lesson can have a powerful effect on kids’ self-esteem.
- Increased Class Cooperation
Games in the classroom allow students to learn how to work together as a team, take turns, build respect, listen to others, and play fairly. It can go a long way toward building their cooperation skills.
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- Memory Workout
We often think of playing brain games as a means for older folks to keep their memories in shape, but that benefit extends to kids too. Video games, in particular, actually help kids build up their memories — and the benefits last well into adulthood.
- Learning From Mistakes
As much as games in the classroom are about learning a concept, they’re also about learning from what goes wrong, which gives students both the problem-solving development we already mentioned and the social-emotional benefits.
Objectives of Educational Game.
Computer and video games let students dive in practice lead them to expertise by gaining professional skills and acquire innovative thinking. Digital games are the perfect tool that supports learning to students without even realizing it. The major objective of playing games and participating in activities are as follows:
- Learn problem-solving strategy
- Trust
- Calculated risk-taking
- How to adapt to unforeseen issues
- How to share
- To Be Challenged
- Help students remember
- Visual and computer literacy
The rules of most games can have far-reaching positive effects when they are applied to real-life situations.
Components Of Educational Game
The design of your game has a direct impact on the learning experience, it’s absolutely critical that you approach it wisely. When games are created with the learner in mind, students don’t even realize they’re in a training session. Here are the five most critical components of outstanding Learning Games:
- Goals and objectives
- Outcomes and Feedback
- Rules and/or Instructions
- Interaction
- Conflict (and/or competition, challenge, opposition)
Elements of a Game.
Digital games have the potential to create active and engaging learning environments, supporting problem-solving, and learning through practice. This is true for K12 students as well as seasoned corporate learners. Learners can play, explore, experiment, as well as learn with game-based learning
Here are some game mechanics that can be utilized for the design of effective learning games:
- Strategy and chance
- Aesthetics
- Theme and story: Involve- Characters, Plot, Tension and Resolution
Conclusion
There are many opportunities to implement the concept of gaming in to education and there are many kinds of games that can be used in learning process which include problem solving, drill and practice, simulation, puzzle and tutorials-based games. Game is an integral part of learning which has an impact on education and at such should be successfully integrated into the curriculum.