By Sonali Shekhawat
What is Gamification?
Gamification is the process of transforming the typical classroom environment by using gaming themes. The purpose of gamification is to increase engagement through the use of competition (both individual and class-wise), creativity, student-led learning, and immediate feedback.
In simple terms, it is an approach for increasing learners’ motivation and engagement by incorporating game design elements such as peer competition, teamwork, and point scoring in educational environments. Effective gamified learning often features a series of goals, levels, rules, story elements, high interactivity, rewards, and continual progress feedback.
Schools in Gurgaon are employing gamification in their day-to-day class activities making classes more interactive and engaging.
Benefits of Gamification in Education
- Gamification offers a way to make education more enjoyable and fun, as well as increase productivity.
- It helps students assimilate new information and test their knowledge.
- It increases the level of engagement in the classroom.
- Learning via interactive methods and immersing in the process is known to improve knowledge retention among students.
- It impacts the cognitive abilities of the students positively and they are better able to comprehend the information.
- Gamification impacts the holistic education of students by teaching them academic and non-academic skills. It also creates a space for educators to interact with students and forms effective guidance and lesson plans for optimum learning outputs.
How to employ gamification in classroom setup?
The best Schools in Gurgaon can implement gamification with the help of the following examples:
- Points for academic and non-academic objectives
Inspire students to see simple sets of questions in a whole new light. Correct or well-structured answers operate on a points system, with students moving up through the ranks. Answers without evidence can be worth 1 point, a correct answer with 1 piece of evidence worth 2 points, and a correct answer with 2 pieces of evidence worth 3 points.
- Competition within the classroom
Competition with classmates, other classes, or even with the teacher is an excellent game-based element that works. Example: Students must follow the classroom norms and anytime a student follows the rule, the class gets a point. Anytime a student does not follow a rule, the teacher gets a point. This is particularly great for introducing procedures and new behavioral expectations. If the class wins, the teacher can use a reward, such as a 1-minute dance party, extended break time, etc.
- Using methods of ‘Progression’
Track points over multiple classes. Example: then when students reach an important milestone such as 100 points let them ‘level up’. As they progress further, give out milestone rewards, such as extra reading or playtime or the chance to be class captain for the day.
- Learning Badges
Sometimes something symbolic can mean more than receiving points. When students reach certain checkpoints or ‘levels’, you may wish to present them with a marker of their success, such as learning badges or stickers.
- Imaginary roles
Allow students the chance to take on different roles as learners such as as a judge, designer, father, mother, doctor, etc., and see how they rise to the occasion using their imaginations and see the magic.
The following are some examples of how CBSE Schools in Gurgaon can harness these benefits:
- Introducing classic games such as Scrabble and interactive quizzes like Kahoot with multiple choice questions and word clouds promote cognitive, creative, and social skills.
- Role-playing, going on quests, or completing group challenges can build on teamwork and problem-solving, while also allowing students to explore real-life implications of their learnings.