Famous educator Maria Montessori said, “Play is the work of children.” Today, an increasing number of educators and researchers are trying to find ways and means of gamifying education. But is it just for children? Adult concepts as complex problem-solving can easily be gamified to make learn complex concepts easy and fun.
Benefits of gamification
Experts say games can invoke a sense of curiosity and determination to succeed in the face of failure. Learning by playing also helps us to bounce back from mistakes more easily and sharpens our creative thinking skills to achieve constructive learning objectives.
However, the greatest benefit of gamification lies in the fact that it encourages student participation. Students get more involved in playing the game, which helps them grasp difficult or uninteresting study material. The thrill of playing a game and scoring higher also presents a challenge that completely turns around how a student views a lesson.
Fun-Learning Ideas to Gamify Lessons
While playing video games can definitely be incorporated into a lesson, gamification may transcend digital gaming. Here are some ideas that will heighten students’ interest in learning.
- Reward students with tokens
Just like we received those little gold stars in kindergarten class, awarding students with a token or badge can be encouraging. Students can be given different types of badges or tokens to display skill ad progress levels.
- Allow multiple tries
Most video games allow a user several tries to play the game. In this way, a user can learn from their mistakes and try to play with a different strategy the next time.
Take this concept into the concept by allowing a student to try an assignment at least thrice. Students who succeed at the first try can be offered a choice to move on to another challenge, or try again to bring up their score.
This method will also reduce the humiliation of failure while building motivation.
