Why do teachers add games to their lessons?

By: Royd Guyon

You might be wondering why schools allow teachers to use educational games in their lessons.
To answer this question let us look at the students’ mindset. When you ask your students or a child what comes to their mind when they hear about computers and smartphones they will say that these devices are for playing games, social media and watching online videos. This is the challenge that the schools have to face and the solution is to combine the advantages of games to make the lessons more interesting and to keep the students motivated to learn. This concept is called Educational Gamification. Gamification in learning involves using game-based elements such as point scoring, peer competition, team work, score tables to drive engagement.

You might be thinking, is it effective? Before I give the answer to this question let us talk about the advantages and disadvantages of Educational gamification.

Advantages of Educational Gamification

– It encourages users by focusing on social, cognitive, and emotional results.
– Difficult questions are presented to the student in a fun and humorous way.
– It provides a positive role in students who are externally motivated.
– It provides a venue for communication and friendly competition in the classroom.
– It helps students use their critical thinking.
It can provide performance feedback for the user.

Disadvantages of Educational Gamification

– Games may be a source of distraction and waste of time.
– It can be boring for the students if the educational game is not designed properly by the teacher.
– Educational games require consistent innovation and study to check their effectiveness.
– It requires internet connection and devices.

In conclusion, we can say that Educational Gamification is effective but we have to make sure that the disadvantages are discussed and solutions are provided. If you are a teacher, communicate with your students and your school to make sure that the educational games you are using are good in terms of quality and effectiveness. If you are a parent, check the educational games that the teachers provide to your child and evaluate if it helps your child’s learning process.