In my
previous blog I introduced my semester blogging topic: “The Uses and
Effectiveness of Game-Based Learning.” I shared that game based learning is
utilized in three main realms, in schools, in the military and in some
industries. Of these three realms, its
use in schools is probably the widest reaching. Students from preschool through
postgraduate school can benefit from learning games to acquire needed and
required knowledge. The games that they participate in could be as basic as an
old fashioned game of Multiplication Bingo, or as complex as video game used by
medical students to learn gross anatomy. No matter what the genre of the game,
if it is effective, its outcome is usually learning. Why is game-based learning such an effective
tool in schools?
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According
to the North American Simulation and Gaming Association, learning games provide
many elements that students and their teacher’s desire. Learning games provide
students with a motivation (NASGA). Most students would prefer to actively
involve themselves in the learning process rather than just participating in
lecture, pen and paper learning. They
also cause students to learn in a more relaxed way without inhibitions (NASGA).
Many times, students will focus on the game as a game rather than as a learning
tool. They’re having fun and learning
specific information is a latent effect of the game playing. Additionally, games help students build bonds
and encourage teamwork among classmates (NASGA). They also provide practice of skills in a
safe environment (NASGA). It’s much less stressful to get an answer wrong while
playing a computer game by yourself, than it is answering a question
incorrectly in front of your entire class!
Learning games also allow students to experiment with different roles
and different ways of being a leader (NASGA).
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| Photo provided by: Librarian In Black |
Children who may never
experience being a leader in their normal school life may be thrust into a
position of leadership in a computer or small group game. Games serve to make the material being taught
more memorable, thus the student will have better retention and their learning
will be deeper. Games also can serve
multiple roles (NASGA). They can teach a
student a new skill; help the student retain that skill and then be used as an
evaluation tool by the student and the teacher.
Game-based learning is also a wonderful way of reaching children and
adults who may have different learning styles (NASGA). Being a visual and
kinesthetic learner, I was always very excited when a teacher provided learning
through games involving movement and computers. Additionally, learning games
help to make abstract concepts more concrete, teach decision making skills,
encourage deeper thinking, and provide reinforcement and rewards to the
students playing them (NASGA).
In addition to all of the above cited benefits
of game-based learning, Jessica Trybus of Carnegie Mellon University also finds
that game-based learning in schools allows students to learn at their own pace
and is very cost-effective. “Well-designed games permit learning experiences
that aren’t possible in real life—for example, “designing” a dolphin to find
out how body size and fin position affect how far it can swim” (Trybus). A computer program about dolphins is much
less expensive than taking a large group of students to an aquarium to
experience a dolphin in real life.
With all of the wonderful
benefits of game-based learning coupled with the available technology, there
would seem to be nothing to discourage the use of these imaginative and
engaging resources whenever possible.
Sources:
http://www.nasaga.org/page/why-use-games-to-teach
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