Is gaming the next big step for education? Beulah Pereira speaks to a few experts in the field about gamifying the learning process
Our increasing dependence on technology is anticipated to change the way we look at things in the future. The introduction of gaming in education may sound fascinating; however, experts predict that it may take eight to ten years for it to be completely implemented in the education stream.
Kushal Bhagia, co-founder of Nayi Disha Studios, which uses motion -sensing technology to teach educational concepts to children, says, “Games have actually been used as a tool to teach for a long time. However, gaming involving computers or other gadgets is a relatively recent phenomenon in education”.
Why we need it
It is undeniably difficult to hold the attention of more than 50 students in a class. “Getting children to pay attention and to focus are the two things that teachers at all levels struggle with—and gaming helps with both. Children can play for hours, so why not involve modifications of games in the classroom to help them remember, retain and recollect their studies?” says Swati Popat Vats, President, Podar Education Network.
One of the key advantages of gamifying education is being able to create a scenario that might otherwise be physically dangerous or impossible. For example, chemical experiments can often result in explosions and loss of lives in reality; however, a mistake in a virtual lab, would result in a virtual explosion, with no harm done. All it would take to start over is the click of a button.
Game types
“Games related to logic and memory, which are incorporated into the learning systems, would tap abilities such as eye-hand coordination, rapid response, memory, thinking and cognitive skills,” says Swati.
Gaming can change the way a student approaches a Commerce course. The board game, Monopoly, helps one understand what goes into building and running a business. There are many such games, in which you can learn to build an organisation and operate it at a profit. Stock market simulation games are used in business schools to give students a hands-on experience of trading, without the risk of actually losing money.
Gamifying education, however, should not be done unreservedly. “Subject areas that need the gaming touch should use it. There are certain subjects that are best learned through hands-on experience; and so it is imperative that gaming is used as a supplementary tool in education and not as the only tool,” explains Swati.
Old with the new
Would conventional education systems disappear? It seems unlikely. “There are many concepts, which a computer or a game cannot teach. What will happen, is that a teacher armed with the right games and other educational technology, will be far more effective. The human touch, which comes with education, cannot be lost, but there’s a lot more that you can achieve with the right technological tools,” concludes Kushal.
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