Can Interactive Games Help Our Students Learn Better?

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Teaching your students can prove to be very tricky as on one hand you need to stick with traditionally proven methods; while on the other hand you need to modify your techniques to incorporate latest technology to reach your students better. 

There is no doubt that many students, like me, feel bored by lectures. To be honest, I preferred classes that had some activities in them as I could realise my potential instead of just listening to boring lectures. 

Gamification of Education

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If you are a teacher and if you want to make learning engaging for your students, most of whom undoubtedly hate lectures, then your best solution is “Gamification”. It incorporates elements of games into learning, making the process more effective and simpler. Contrary to popular belief, Gamification is not a new concept and has been around for more than a century. Till now Gamification has proved successful in numerous classrooms worldwide with positive results. 

But still if you are not convinced, I have listed some of the benefits that you and your students can get from Gamification in education- 

Games and Maths

 

Let’s face it....Maths is a rather dry subject for most students. I can assure you that most of your students, barring the nerds, do not even enjoy the class. But you can change all that with Gamification. The best way to teach young learners the value of maths and enable them to calculate and solve problems is by using games in the maths class. Your students will be more involved and engaged in the sessions and would enjoy the learning process. You can find various game-based learning software that help to teach maths better. 

Games and Students Engagement

 

I know this for a fact that several educators complain that the level of class participation in their classroom is extremely low. As result of this, your students fail to remember the lessons during the tests which hamper their grades. 

By including Gamification in your teaching techniques, you will be able to increase their level of engagement as all your students will need to participate in the games. As the classes will include several types of activities, your students will not be absent-minded or be bored. This helps to improve their understanding and motivation. 

Games Help Children with ADHD

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You may think that video games would be a bad idea for children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). But a scientific journal written by Andrew Campbell and Krestina L. Amon of the Discipline of Behavioural and Social Sciences in Health, reveals that instructional video games can teach kids with ADHD to control their behaviour. Learning-based games are actually beneficial as they can impact your student in a positive way. 

Games Improve Physical Activity

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Apart from computer-based games, there are several other types of interactive games that promote physical activity among learners. It helps students to gain strength and flexibility. I am sure your students will perform better in the classroom as they will feel much energised after doing some pleasurable activity or playing in an open area or outside. 

Here I have mentioned only a handful of benefits of introducing Gamification in your classroom. When you start using engaging and interactive games in teaching your students, you will surely find out various other benefits of using this method. 

What do you think about Gamification? Will you use it in your classroom? I would love to hear your views...so feel free to share your comments.