Are you looking to add
excitement to your routine class? Educational games may be the answer!
Educational games are not just for elementary students. Games can be fun and
meaningful at the collegiate level as well. Incorporating games into a class
can benefit students in several ways and add fun to the monotony of typical
lecture classes. In this post, we will take a closer look at the benefits of
educational games and explore some examples of games to utilize in the
classroom.
Games in the classroom
can be used to make learning fun, liven up the classroom and motivate students
to learn outside the classroom. These benefits will be reaped by students and
ultimately increase their learning for that particular class period. It will
also increase their excitement about the material which will encourage them to
continue attending class and continue learning outside the classroom.
Along with the benefits
of educational games come challenges. One of the biggest challenges is making
learning objectives integral to the game. In other words, instructors must work
to ensure the game being used is in relation to the topics of study. Another
challenge is to choose/create a game that will include everyone and give
everyone the most benefit. It is important to involve everyone in the game to
increase the learning for all students and not just some. Finally, the game
must be somewhat difficult or challenging. It can be challenging to find the
balance between fun and difficult, but a challenging game will get students
involved and more determined to succeed.
A few tips to make
educational games most effective are as follows:
·
Games should include
competition; putting students against each other or against themselves.
·
Include fantasy
or hypothetical real world situations to make it seem more believable and
intriguing.
·
Explain
instructions in a clear and concise manner so students understand all rules and
goals.
·
Consider giving
students points for accomplishing goals in the game to further motivate them.
·
Consider giving
rewards for winners (rewards can either be points or small items/prizes).
Sample Educational Games
This website
contains several links to games (mostly computer games) that are taken on a
more serious note. Despite the serious tone, students enjoy them because of the
competition and real-world features. The games are broken down into majors such
as business/management, health/science, humanitarian/environmental, political,
etc.
Another option is to
transform the entire classroom into a game, using role playing and hypothetical
situations. This could be done by assigning each student a particular role and
giving them detailed characteristics for the role or instructions pertaining to
playing that role. An overall goal or situation is then given and students can
interact with each other as their character. This role-playing example can be
done over the entire semester as well, and each class period is a new “day”
with new goals or challenges to accomplish.
An example of a game to
play in business classes to incorporate lessons about trading and money is as
follows:
1.
Students are
given cards, either red or black. Each card will have a number on it that
indicates its value.
a.
Red=buyers
b.
Black=sellers
2.
The sellers want
to sell above the value listed on the card and the buyers want to buy below the
value on the card.
3.
Trading will
begin to take place among the students. Individual buyers and sellers have to
agree on prices.
4.
Students will
mark their gain on their sheet. It is a challenging game because no deal gives
no gain or loss.
There are also several
templates online for Jeopardy games. The templates can be edited in order to
insert specific questions. The game can be played with teams instead of
individual players in order to involve all students. Jeopardy has always proven
to be a fun and interactive game! It is also a great way to review for an exam.
One sample template is here
(clicking on “Jeopardy” will allow you to have the PowerPoint version which is
editable).
Games can also be
created specifically for a certain class or class period. This can be very easy
to do as long as there is a list of questions/answers and teams are involved.
Instructors could also incorporate a Pictionary aspect to the game and have students
draw items to get their teammates to guess an answer. Games similar to Catch
Phrase can also be integrated into the classroom. In a Catch Phrase type game,
students would describe a word to their teammates without saying the actual
word and whoever guesses the word first is the winner or gets the points.
Despite the type of
game being played, students will almost always enjoy taking a break from the
normal classroom routine to learn actively through a game. By following the
tips above, instructors will be able to successfully create their own educational
games. Reap the many benefits and play a game today!
Sources:
Teed, R. (2013). Game-Based Learning. Retrieved from: http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/index.html
Jensen, R. (2012). 50 Great Sites for Serious Educational Games.
Retrieved from: http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2009/08/17/50-great-sites-for-serious-educational-games/
Lachut, S. (2012). The State of Games in the Classroom.
Retrieved from: http://www.nyas.org/publications/ebriefings/Detail.aspx?cid=86c9441c-7844-4d98-a206-6bc7aa09766e
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