4 Ways to Use Games for Learning

Edutopia

30 Apr 202102:26

Summary

TLDRThe video script highlights the benefits of incorporating games in the classroom to enhance collaboration and engagement. It emphasizes how games can boost student participation, encourage social and emotional learning, and motivate risk-taking. By using games, students can explore new interests and perspectives in a low-pressure environment, which can increase their confidence in tackling learning challenges. The script suggests gamifying traditional lessons, using quests for research, and leveraging multiplayer games to foster camaraderie. It also advises starting small when integrating gaming for the first time and being mindful of the range of emotions games can evoke.

Takeaways

🎮 Games in the classroom can enhance collaboration and engagement among students.
📈 Research indicates that games can increase student participation and motivate them to take risks.
💡 Games allow students to make quick decisions in a low-risk environment, boosting their confidence for future learning challenges.
🌐 Games can introduce students to new perspectives by having them adopt different personas and understand the consequences of their choices.
🔍 Introducing games on unfamiliar topics can encourage exploration in a low-pressure setting.
🎉 The fun aspect of games can make students unaware of the learning taking place.
📚 Transform traditional lessons by incorporating a compelling storyline to engage students.
🏆 Gamify lessons by incorporating elements like points, leaderboards, and badges to tap into students' competitive spirit.
🧭 Send students on a quest when researching to make the process more exciting than a typical assignment.
🔄 Games can promote equity in the classroom by providing an entry point for all students to participate.
🎯 Choose games with varying difficulty levels to ensure participation from all students, including those who struggle with traditional assignments.
🎉 Digital scoreboards can provide motivation for students who find it hard to engage with traditional assignments.
👫 Multiplayer games like Minecraft and Among Us encourage collaboration and relationship building with peers.
🔄 For fostering camaraderie, rotate students into different pairs or teams for gameplay.
🚀 When integrating gaming for the first time, start small and consider the emotional impact of the games used.
⚠️ Not every aspect of education needs to be gamified.

Q & A

How can games in the classroom enhance the learning experience for students?
-Games can make the learning experience more collaborative and engaging, increase student participation, foster social and emotional learning, and motivate students to take risks in a low-risk setting.
What benefits can games provide for students' confidence in tackling learning challenges?
-Games require quick decision-making, which can boost students' confidence to face learning challenges later on due to the low-risk environment they provide.
How can games help students explore unfamiliar perspectives?
-Games can help by having students inhabit different personas and experience the impact of their choices, allowing them to grapple with new perspectives.
Why might incorporating games on topics students usually avoid be beneficial?
-Games offer a low-pressure way to explore new interests, making students more likely to engage with topics they might otherwise shy away from.
In what way can games make students unaware of the amount they are learning?
-Because games are fun, students may not even realize the extent of their learning, as the enjoyment of the game overshadows the educational aspect.
How can traditional lessons be made more engaging by incorporating games?
-Traditional lessons can be made over with a compelling storyline or gamified by including game components like points, leaderboards, and badges to harness the competitive spirit.
What is a quest in the context of student research, and how does it differ from a typical assignment?
-A quest is a more exciting and engaging way to send students on research tasks, different from a typical assignment by creating a sense of adventure and enthusiasm.
How do games contribute to increasing equity in the classroom?
-Games can increase equity by providing every child with an entry point to participate, especially through games with different difficulty levels that cater to all skill levels.
What role can digital scoreboards play for students who struggle with traditional assignments?
-Digital scoreboards can provide motivation for these students by setting fun, low-stakes goals, making the learning process more engaging and less intimidating.
How can multiplayer games like Minecraft and Among Us foster relationships among students?
-Multiplayer games encourage collaboration and interaction, which helps create strong relationships with peers and fosters camaraderie among students.
What advice is given for educators who are integrating gaming into their teaching for the first time?
-Start small, consider the mix of games used and the range of emotions they can evoke, and remember that not everything needs to be gamified to be effective.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 The Power of Games in Education

This paragraph emphasizes the positive impact of incorporating games into the classroom. It discusses how games can enhance collaboration, engagement, and social-emotional learning among students. The script highlights the benefits of quick decision-making in a low-risk environment, which can improve students' confidence to face academic challenges. It also suggests using games to expose students to new perspectives and topics they might otherwise avoid, thereby making learning more enjoyable and less intimidating. The paragraph concludes by advocating for the use of games to increase equity in learning opportunities and to motivate students through digital scoreboards and multiplayer interactions.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Collaborative

Collaborative refers to the act of working together with others to achieve a common goal. In the context of the video, it highlights how games in the classroom can encourage students to work in teams, promoting a sense of unity and collective problem-solving. For instance, the script mentions that games can 'foster social and emotional learning' and 'encourage players to collaborate and create strong relationships with peers,' which are clear examples of collaborative learning.

💡Engaging

Engaging is a term used to describe something that captures and holds the interest of the audience. The video emphasizes that games can make the learning experience more engaging for students, which means they are more likely to be attentive and invested in the educational process. The script states that games can 'provide a more collaborative, engaging experience for all students,' suggesting that the interactive nature of games can increase student interest and participation.

💡Participation

Participation is the act of taking part in an activity or process. The video script notes that games can 'help increase student participation,' indicating that when students are involved in games, they are more likely to be active in the learning process. This is important as active participation can lead to better understanding and retention of information.

💡Social and Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire the skills to manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. The video script mentions that games can 'foster social and emotional learning,' suggesting that they can help students develop these crucial life skills within an educational setting.

💡Risk-Taking

Risk-taking refers to the willingness to try out new things or approaches that may have uncertain outcomes. In the video, it is suggested that games can help students 'take risks' by making quick decisions in a low-risk setting, which can later 'boost their confidence to tackle learning challenges.' This implies that the safe environment of a game can prepare students to be more daring in their approach to learning.

💡Personas

A persona is a character or role that an individual takes on, often in a fictional or role-playing context. The video script suggests using games to have students 'inhabit different personas,' which can help them explore new perspectives and understand the impact of their choices. This method can be particularly effective for learning about different cultures, viewpoints, or historical figures.

💡Gamification

Gamification is the application of game-design elements and principles in non-game contexts to increase engagement and motivation. The video script discusses 'gamify the lesson by weaving in game components like points, leader boards, and badges,' which illustrates how traditional lessons can be made more engaging through the use of game-like incentives and structures.

💡Equity

Equity in education refers to the fair treatment, access, and opportunity for all students. The video script mentions that 'games can increase equity in the classroom,' suggesting that by providing different difficulty levels, games can ensure that all students, regardless of their abilities, have a chance to participate and succeed.

💡Digital Scoreboards

A digital scoreboard is a display that shows scores or progress in a digital format. In the context of the video, it is suggested that 'digital scoreboards can provide motivation' for students who may struggle with traditional assignments. This can make the learning process more competitive and engaging, potentially increasing student motivation and participation.

💡Multiplayer Games

Multiplayer games are video games that allow multiple players to play simultaneously. The video script refers to games like 'Minecraft and Among Us,' which are multiplayer games that 'encourage players to collaborate and create strong relationships with peers.' These games can be used in an educational setting to foster teamwork and social interaction among students.

💡Camaraderie

Camaraderie is a feeling of good fellowship among a group of people. The video script talks about 'foster[ing] camaraderie among students' by assigning them to rotating pairs or teams for gameplay. This suggests that through shared gaming experiences, students can build strong bonds and a sense of community, which can enhance the overall classroom atmosphere.

Highlights

Games in the classroom can enhance collaboration and engagement among students.

Research indicates that games increase student participation and foster social and emotional learning.

Games encourage students to take risks in a low-risk environment, boosting their confidence for learning challenges.

Inhabiting different personas through games can help students grapple with unfamiliar perspectives.

Games can serve as a low-pressure method to explore topics students might otherwise avoid.

The fun aspect of games can make students unaware of the learning process, making it more effective.

Transform traditional lessons by incorporating compelling storylines to engage students.

Gamification of lessons with points, leaderboards, and badges can leverage students' competitive spirit.

Sending students on a quest during research can increase their excitement compared to typical assignments.

Games can promote equity in the classroom by providing an entry point for all children to participate.

Finding games with varying difficulty levels can increase the likelihood of student participation.

Digital scoreboards can motivate students who struggle with traditional assignments.

Setting fun, low-stakes goals can be an effective motivational tool in the classroom.

Multiplayer games like Minecraft and Among Us promote collaboration and peer relationships.

Rotating pairs or teams for gameplay can foster camaraderie among students.

When integrating gaming for the first time, start small and consider the emotional impact of the games used.

Not all educational content needs to be gamified; it's important to maintain a balance.