Utilizing video games as an educational tool
Hey there! Games have been a fun and effective tool for learning in the education sector for quite some time. As digital technologies continue to advance, so does the range of digital learning games, leading to an exciting area known as game-based learning. It's not about playing games just to motivate or engage students, it's about using 'serious games' as the foundation for knowledge and skill development. Gamification, the application of game rules to a learning process, is widely used in education now.
Rachel Bolstad from New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) is currently researching the use of games for learning. She found that game-curious teachers view games as a rich and versatile learning resource. Instead of just playing games for fun, some teachers focus on the coding and digital technology skills, while others concentrate on play-based learning and role-play. Involved teachers engage with games in various ways, like playing, designing, making, fanning, or critiquing, and sometimes even teaching others using their game knowledge and skills.
One such teacher, Michelle, adapted a Science Learning Hub activity to focus on the longfin eel's life cycle. She described her students' reactions and learning as they participated in a role-play activity. They became empathetic towards the longfin eel's precarious situation as the topic was relevant to their lives, and they were highly engaged.
Teachers are increasingly seeing games and game design as a means of developing students' thinking and key competencies, rather than just knowledge and skills. Post-game, class discussions and literacy activities can help unpack experiences and provide opportunities for further learning in digital technologies and art, creating future coding and artwork for future games.
Role-play, playing a game, and reflecting on the experience are crucial aspects of learning through games. Sustainability issues, science concepts, and the nature of science can all be explored through drama, enhancing students' learning experiences and deepening their understanding. Easy-to-use digital tools like Arduino Science Journal, micro:bit, and even some citizen science projects use aspects of gaming to capture their audience's attention and engagement.
Examples of educational games can be found on the Science Learning Hub, like "Magma Drillers Save Planet Earth," which encourages students to solve environmental and energy issues using their science and engineering knowledge. There's also "Kiwi Kai," a virtual farm that explores relationships between healthy environments, kai, people, and communities.
As for the future of game-based learning, it's all about personalization, student-centered learning, collaboration, career readiness, and fostering resilience and adaptability. Game-based learning market projections show significant growth in the coming years, with industry pioneers like Duolingo, Mojang Studios, and Epic Games contributing to its development. So, buckle up and prepare for an exciting and interactive learning journey through the world of games!
- Education and self-development in the gaming realm extends beyond simple knowledge acquisition, as teachers are increasingly using games and game design to foster students' thinking and key competencies, such as empathy, resilience, and adaptability.
- Learning through games is not limited to play-based activities; post-game discussions, literacy activities, and even digital tool exploration offer opportunities for further learning in areas like digital technologies, art, and science, facilitating personalization and student-centered learning experiences.
