Game Based Learning - Making Education a Memorable Experience
Education is the backbone of our lives. The education that we receive in our childhood at school remains with us the whole life and define what we know today. Hence, basic education at school level is the most important thing to be taken care of and it should be done in such a way that it becomes a learning and enjoyable experience. The modern education system demands a change and thus, various methods of learning have been developed, which would enhance knowledge as well.
Gamification, or also known as game based learning (GBL ) is one of the proven methods now, which involves use of gaming mechanics, such as badges, points, levels, or leader boards and applies these mechanics to the way a learning course is taught, which improves the learner’s motivation by making it an engaging experience. Also, the designing of the game is such that it offers the learners the freedom to fail, to face the failure and accomplish various challenges and goals respectively.
If it’s that famous, there ought to be some major advantages of this system. Let’s look into it-
The first thing to make learning a memorable experience is to take the school, out of the school. The knowledge transfer should be in such a way that it does not become boring at any cost, or else the purpose of learning is not served. Educators have tested this method and come out with mind blowing results.
Advantages of Game based learning
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Educational videos and games
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A new level of grading
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Homework which students love to do
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Awards, Rewards and Badges
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A healthy competition won’t do any harm
Teachers need to be very creative in case of students, only they are the ones who can transform a dull and non-motivational student to an active and optimistic individual.
Advantages of Game Based Learning
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Educational videos and games
Educational videos and games are a hit now. Video and online games have always attracted children and if it is possible to convert it into an educative approach, then it is for the best of the students. Teachers have been working upon many games which would not only make the student’s learning enjoyable, but also develop their skills as video games are very fast and it requires logic to work it out.
A teacher in Indiana has worked upon a new game project, which would make the students interested in learning. In the game, he sets specific goals and achievements for individual students or entire classes, where they can select and play games according to the realm selected, inner realm(inside the school) and outer realm(outside school) as well as to track student data and progress. The data is accessible by the parents also. He has also provided a section for the teachers where they can upload and distribute lesson plans to the students and this is available for all subjects.
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A new level of grading
Some people feel that education is all about getting good grades, which is not. Grading creates a stress level in the minds of the students, who constantly start caring about only and only grades, rather than concentrating on what they study. This causes a negative effect, which can worsen in the future.
Thus, many educators have developed and implemented the ‘experience’ system of self-grading, which allows the students to get points for all the curriculum related tasks they do and collect points for it. If at the end of the year, they do not accumulate enough points, they can re-do it in a better way. This instils confidence in the student and provides a learning experience to them, helpful in the future.
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Homework which students love to do
Game based learning has transformed the traditional school education and also the one of the things that students dislike the most: Homework. The goal of it is to induce curiosity and excitement through various games and activities. If homework on the same is given, it would definitely be completed by students as they would become engrossed in the same.
Introducing newer concepts like treasure hunts and quests, which make the learning process interesting and sparks the curiosity and excitement in the students, helps them learn quicker and in a better manner.
Some teachers, introduced bingo in order to give a twist to homework, in which they had to follow the steps as in the image below. The teacher, parents and students felt a huge difference in the attitude towards homework of the students as well as their involvement in doing it.
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Awards, Rewards and Badges
One of the best joys of life is getting a gift or a prize for an achievement we did. Teachers and educators studying the learning process think that, studying and completing the work sincerely is also a big achievement and hence to motivate the students more, they get rewarded for any task which they complete quickly or in a better manner. This not only drives them, but also makes them motivated for the next time, to do it better.
The famous Khan Academy, has also implemented this process, in which they make the students watch instructional videos with problem sets (specifically for maths and science) and then awards them with badges and tracks their progress.
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A healthy competition won’t do any harm
Games inculcate the feeling of competition and induce sportsmanship in children. Generally, at the age when students are in school, they are competitive (in a totally positive way). This feeling can be driven in the right direction and help them in gaining knowledge. Students can be divided into groups and given a task, which can be made into a tournament sort of, which they have to complete and it would motivate them to work as a team, help others in solving the problem and come out with a solution together, faster than the other team.
Game Based Learning Techniques To Make The Students Interested In Math/ Science
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According to JUMP math
“It draws on the latest cognitive science research to build upon the best aspects of math programs from around the world to provide a unique combination of depth, careful scaffolding, continuous assessment and a variety of innovative instructional approaches.”
2. Treasure Hunting Like games to learn and solve
Learning about concepts by making it seem like a quest in which students need to rescue someone and gain badges and coins for saving in each step.
Conclusion
Game-based learning is the future and can transform any learning experience. Academic content can be divided into levels through which students must progress. Ultimately, an educator's mission is to create student motivation and instill a love for learning that is fun and worthwhile. Build empathy. Bring players together to learn a common goal. By communicating and working together, players build empathy through their avatars by raising awareness of local or global goals.
