Numerous studies have determined that using games in education is a helpful tool for increasing student participation, motivating students to take risks and fostering social and emotional learning.
Gamification in the classroom aids students in acquiring new information and retaining learned information with the result that academic scores are boosted when educational tools that include gaming are used.
Playing virtual games can improve students’ attention and focus. Students with learning difficulties, including those with dyslexia and ADHD, see improved spatial and temporal attention which are especially important skills for reading.
The Grande Vegas no deposit bonus codes online casino is pleased to see so much attention being paid to the role of how gamification in the classroom helps people think differently about what’s possible.
Yet we remind educators, parents and members of the public that integrating games into lessons involves more than giving students access to a controller and a games website and letting them charge ahead. It’s important to consider which games are appropriate and effective in helping students meet educational goals and objectives.
Some of the best games for the classroom include:
Coding
One of the most important 21st century skills that you can teach kids is coding and Rabbids Coding provides the procedural logic and programming intro that will form the foundation for future coding. Rabbids Coding is appropriate for players of all ages who move through the gameplay that involves providing the Rabbids with codes that will enable them to clean up the mess that they made after they invade your spaceship.
Throughout the game the players are encouraged to test theories, think logically and revise solutions to get the best results. Suggestions for moving into coding include pairing Rabbids Coding with a language based tool like Grasshopper or a graphical coding tool like Scratch.
Language Acquisition
Games make language acquisition fun by giving students an enjoyable activity for in-context learning, repetition and positive associations. There are a number of good games on the market for teaching languages with one of the best being the Dulingo app.
Dulingo is a great way for beginners to get started learning a new language. The lessons focus on vocabulary and as you learn you collect Lingots (points) when you get good scores, unlock new levels and enter bonus rounds. You can do Dolingo individually or with friends.
Life Skills
There are a number of games that teach life skills – some games focus on specific skills like mental health or child care while others cover a lot of bases. One of those that teaches multiple life skills is Animal Crossing. The whimsical game covers real skills you can use offline including interior decorating, cooking, fishing and even building.
There’s a new Animal Crossing out now, Animal Crossing: New Horizons that even has players taking their video game skills offline. Many educators use Animal Crossing to focus on social–emotional learning (SEL) opportunities such as altruism and generosity, financial literacy, personal responsibility and intelligent decision-making.
Government
Teaching the mechanics of democracy can elicit yawns and rolled eyes in a classroom but you can get the message across through the Cast your Vote game. Cast your Vote focuses on the election cycle and voting including political debates, campaign news, propositions that are placed on the ballot and researching candidates.
The game leads into discussions of hot-topic issues with emphasis on how to discuss such issues responsibly. Throughout the game students are encouraged to decide on the issues that are important to them as they explore argumentation and persuasion.
Cast Your Vote also provides resources that are food for thought about the choices that people make when they vote. Post-game, if possible, students should listen to real-life debates, visit candidates’ social media or websites and then summarize what they’ve learned.
Science
What better way to learn about how things work than to make them work? That’s Gizmos and Gadgets, an educational science game that aims to teach elementary-aged students introductory mechanics through real-life applications of energy, basic electronics, magnets and simple machines.
The game originally came out in 1993 but it’s now in its Second Edition with more interactive activities than ever. Once kids make their own creations on the littleBits website they can share their efforts with other Gizmos and Gadgets players around the world. A good introduction to basic circuitry for fifth through eighth graders.
Math
Prodigy is a math-based battle game where adaptive math practice meets engaging game-based learning through adventure, quests, points and rewards and epic battles all within a multi-player gaming world of fun and excitement.
Just to keep things on an even keel you can rescue pets along the way. The game focuses on learner-centric pedagogical approaches and motivation-first digital game-based learning.
Health
Learning about health doesn’t have to mean focusing on parasites and infections. There are games to teach about all different aspects of health including dental health, parts of the body, allergies, nutrition, exercise and more. There are games for all levels of learners.
One game that will speak to many students is Pandemic where students actually “become” a disease – a virus, parasite or bacteria. The disease then tries to infect as many people as possible to create a pandemic. This is an interesting way for students to learn how diseases are transmitted. Players choose the characteristics of their disease and allow their disease to “evolve” according to changes in the environment.
