“Let’s play a game!” The opening sentence to a fun activity that students often love. And while games are a great time filler, or a fun, relaxing activity to do at the end of the day. There are also several ways games can be used as educational tools to enhance the learning experience for students and educators alike.
What is an Educational Game?
An educational game is a game designed to help teach about certain subjects. They can be used not only in educational settings but also in other settings. There are many subjects that educational games can help teach about. Subjects can include: name and get-to-know-you games, games that teach a subject-related lesson, and games that facilitate discussion or reflection. It should be noted that games can be adapted for educational purposes, and some are created from the beginning with the express purpose of being used as educational games.
Key Features:
What makes a game educational? Several features can help transform a game into an educational game. One, it needs to be interactive. While this feature is expected in all games, this interaction can help transform a lesson from a lecture into a game. Second, educational games are relevant to what is being learned. Educational games can be used as a supplementary activity to a larger lesson or as the main part of the lesson, but they are relevant to a broader topic or goal being taught or pursued. A third feature of educational games is that they have a clear objective and a goal for what students are learning. For example, in a game about the salmon life cycle where students become salmon and, through different activities, live a salmon's life, the main objective and goal isn’t to survive the whole lifecycle. The objective and goal are to learn about the trials salmon experience in their lives and how many survive overall. A fourth important aspect of educational games is their fun. Again, this is a feature that all games should have, and while many educational lessons can be fun, educational games should definitely be fun and have students laughing. Finally, another important aspect of some educational games is the debrief. The debrief of the games is a time when the educator and the students can reflect on what they learned and connect it to other activities and lessons they have been learning thus far. Debriefing can be structured in different ways, such as a large-group discussion, a small-group discussion, or writing on a piece of butcher paper. But they will always include some kind of reflection on what they learned and what's important.
Benefits:
There are many benefits to incorporating educational games into lessons, not only for students but also for educators. One benefit of educational games discussed in the key features section is that they are fun to play. This fun then grows joy and happiness for both students and educators, and when you are having fun, you are going to be more engaged in an activity. This engagement is another great benefit of incorporating educational games into lessons. Engagement is fostered not only through fun, but also through these educational games, which are a different way to learn about a subject. Having a new way to learn will allow for a greater understanding of the topic and encourage more students to learn more. Finally, another great benefit of educational games is that they can help prevent burnout not only for students but also for educators. While some educational games are complex and require a lot of mental energy from both students and teachers, many low-key games still teach a great lesson with less mental effort. These games can provide a break for both students and educators from the business of other lessons.
Types of Educational Games and Examples:
Name games, icebreakers, and get-to-know-you games are, as they sound, games used to help a group learn each other's names and get to know one another. These games are often played at the very beginning of a group's time together, the beginning of a school year, the beginning of a trip, etc. As a way to help the group get to know each other more quickly, and encourage conversation and connections. Examples: Name Bop, The Wind Blows, Nature Names, What's in my pocket, Four Corners, Action Syllables, and Question Ball.
Lesson Games are designed to teach a specific lesson. How this lesson is taught varies from game to game. Some games teach through simulation, where the students “live through”/experience what they are learning about. For example, having students become animals in the food web and play a game of tag, where you can tag the animal you consume. Another way lesson games can work is by having the students show what facts they know through a gamified activity. For example, playing a game of jeopardy that then checks students' understanding of different topics they have learned about. Examples: Owls and Crows, Salmon lifecycle, Jeopardy, Kahoot, and Owls, Mice, and Seeds.
Conclusion:
Games are fun. And adding some features to them to help make them educational or teach a lesson doesn’t make them any less fun to do. By utilizing educational games, educators not only teach a lesson in a new way that might be more comprehensible for students, but they also provide an opportunity for their students and themselves to play and have fun. Educators should have fun too.
“Let’s play a game!” The opening sentence to a fun activity that students often love. And while games are a great time filler, or a fun, relaxing activity to do at the end of the day. There are also several ways games can be used as educational tools to enhance the learning experience for students and educators alike.
What is an Educational Game?
An educational game is a game designed to help teach about certain subjects. They can be used not only in educational settings but also in other settings. There are many subjects that educational games can help teach about. Subjects can include: name and get-to-know-you games, games that teach a subject-related lesson, and games that facilitate discussion or reflection. It should be noted that games can be adapted for educational purposes, and some are created from the beginning with the express purpose of being used as educational games.
Key Features:
What makes a game educational? Several features can help transform a game into an educational game. One, it needs to be interactive. While this feature is expected in all games, this interaction can help transform a lesson from a lecture into a game. Second, educational games are relevant to what is being learned. Educational games can be used as a supplementary activity to a larger lesson or as the main part of the lesson, but they are relevant to a broader topic or goal being taught or pursued. A third feature of educational games is that they have a clear objective and a goal for what students are learning. For example, in a game about the salmon life cycle where students become salmon and, through different activities, live a salmon's life, the main objective and goal isn’t to survive the whole lifecycle. The objective and goal are to learn about the trials salmon experience in their lives and how many survive overall. A fourth important aspect of educational games is their fun. Again, this is a feature that all games should have, and while many educational lessons can be fun, educational games should definitely be fun and have students laughing. Finally, another important aspect of some educational games is the debrief. The debrief of the games is a time when the educator and the students can reflect on what they learned and connect it to other activities and lessons they have been learning thus far. Debriefing can be structured in different ways, such as a large-group discussion, a small-group discussion, or writing on a piece of butcher paper. But they will always include some kind of reflection on what they learned and what's important.
Benefits:
There are many benefits to incorporating educational games into lessons, not only for students but also for educators. One benefit of educational games discussed in the key features section is that they are fun to play. This fun then grows joy and happiness for both students and educators, and when you are having fun, you are going to be more engaged in an activity. This engagement is another great benefit of incorporating educational games into lessons. Engagement is fostered not only through fun, but also through these educational games, which are a different way to learn about a subject. Having a new way to learn will allow for a greater understanding of the topic and encourage more students to learn more. Finally, another great benefit of educational games is that they can help prevent burnout not only for students but also for educators. While some educational games are complex and require a lot of mental energy from both students and teachers, many low-key games still teach a great lesson with less mental effort. These games can provide a break for both students and educators from the business of other lessons.
Types of Educational Games and Examples:
Name games, icebreakers, and get-to-know-you games are, as they sound, games used to help a group learn each other's names and get to know one another. These games are often played at the very beginning of a group's time together, the beginning of a school year, the beginning of a trip, etc. As a way to help the group get to know each other more quickly, and encourage conversation and connections. Examples: Name Bop, The Wind Blows, Nature Names, What's in my pocket, Four Corners, Action Syllables, and Question Ball.
Lesson Games are designed to teach a specific lesson. How this lesson is taught varies from game to game. Some games teach through simulation, where the students “live through”/experience what they are learning about. For example, having students become animals in the food web and play a game of tag, where you can tag the animal you consume. Another way lesson games can work is by having the students show what facts they know through a gamified activity. For example, playing a game of jeopardy that then checks students' understanding of different topics they have learned about. Examples: Owls and Crows, Salmon lifecycle, Jeopardy, Kahoot, and Owls, Mice, and Seeds.
Conclusion:
Games are fun. And adding some features to them to help make them educational or teach a lesson doesn’t make them any less fun to do. By utilizing educational games, educators not only teach a lesson in a new way that might be more comprehensible for students, but they also provide an opportunity for their students and themselves to play and have fun. Educators should have fun too.
