Gaming in education was always a part of my own personal educational journey. With things like Number Muncher and All The Right Type in elementary school, teachers were able to gamify elements of learning that most students would typically find pretty boring, like improving mental addition and subtraction and learning how to type accurately. Since technology and our understanding of learning have both progressed since I was in elementary school, how has the use of gaming in the classroom changed? In what ways has this change been positive and what challenges have teachers faced when including these elements?
In an article from acer.com called The benefits of Gaming in Education: the Build A World case, they mention that video games, and not just the gamification of classroom skills, can actually lead to a marked improvement in many of those soft skills that we talk about being so important in education today. There are lots of video games out there that are team activities and they encourage students to work together to achieve goals. This can help improve communication, teamwork and leadership skills in much the same way a traditional group project would. The article also mentions that video games can help improve critical thinking and technical skills. In the world of gaming, students often have to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to succeed, whether they are working in a team or on their own. An interest in video games can also lead to an interest in how video games are made which could lead to an interest in coding or game design.
Especially now, in our new Covid infested world, gaming can be an incredibly important tool for helping students make connections with one another. Even if it’s playing a digitized version of a board game, it can allow students to build relationships even if they can’t see each other in person. Games like Animal crossing also provide that social-emotional connection that is missing by allowing people to visit their friends’ houses and hang out, even if it’s just in a digital space. This can help create a sense of normalcy in a time that has had an extremely negative impact on most people’s mental health, not just students.
In terms of negatives, there are some studies that state that video games and TV have a negative effect on the sleep patterns and memory performance of students. A study from 2007 called Impact of Singular Excessive Computer Game and Television Exposure on Sleep Patterns and Memory Performance of School-Aged Children states that “excessive television viewing and computer game playing have been associated with many psychiatric symptoms” and after studying eleven school-aged children, monitoring them in their sleep after excessive television and video game consumption and testing both their verbal and visual memory, they concluded that television and computer games do negatively affect children’s sleep, learning and memory.
There are several more pros and cons to including gaming in the classroom and it should be considered carefully from as many angles as possible before being implemented. This might not be the answer for every classroom and it should not be used just for the sake of it. It should have an underlying purpose. Gamification is a tool and should be used to supplement students learning, not to replace anything. However, during this pandemic when there are often not a lot of alternatives, socially, gaming could be a good tool to help your students build relationships within the classroom. Strong relationships in the classroom can make learning a better experience for all
Sources:
The benefits of Gaming in Education: the Build A World case
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