The Benefits of Game-Based Learning
June 07, 2021
The use of technology has been a part of my teaching journey with my kids for years. As a teacher and mom, I believe that kids should not be deprived of using technology because they are born with it. Exposing kids in technology is not a bad thing but not regulating it properly is what hinders them to think critically and creatively. As the saying goes, everything that is too much is bad.
Literally and figuratively speaking, our kids are born in a different time. We cannot impose to them that they should learn the way we did when we were younger. It is true that nothing beats the old ways but it is not always the case. In order for kids to learn effectively, we have to use the things that they are good at and the ones that they love in their mode of learning. Technology, using educational games for example, is one of the most engaging ways for kids to learn. It is a trial and error process and it takes time to balance everything because there may be an instance wherein they tend to become so hooked in the materials used and not on the process. As parents and teachers, we have to be mindful in the way we teach our kids.
In line with this, using online education games in teaching and learning also known as game-based learning is research-proven to have multiple benefits. According to University of Toronto Libraries, game-based learning may provide an avenue for feedback and practice, builds an emotional connection and subject matter, solves problems that other modes of learning may not solve, promotes engagement, and may be customized to fit individualized instruction. I have seen these developments in my kids. I remember the time when Kuya used to ask us to read instructions for him while playing Poptropica. To teach him how to read independently, we told him that he should learn how to do it if he really wanted to play the game without any hindrance and that motivated him to do so. Mean while, Bunso has been on game-based learning for years and the effects are amazing. My kids are not into long lectures and discussions and I have discovered that aside from integrative learning approach, game-based learning works for them and I take it as an advantage to maximize its use. Furthermore, it is one of the key contents of our integrative learning. I use online games as one of the best learning assessment tools for my kids.
Speaking of online educational games, I have discovered a new online game platform which I would like to share with you. Plays.org is a website that offers free and fun online games that are user-friendly. What makes it more interesting is that the developers' motivation is to help people to have fun or learn while being stuck at home during the pandemic. Curating fun and purposeful games for people is a good reason for us to support this platform.
Moreover, Plays.org is progressive as it is adds more exciting games. What makes it user-friendly is we don't need to pay for upgrades and no need to download apps to play or register or set up a user account. The games are not stressful because most of them may be beaten quickly which somehow gives a feeling of success on the part of the player. In Bunso's case who needs more practice in hand-eye coordination and desensitization to sounds due to his special needs, the games in Plays.org are advantageous on his end. Our favorites so far are the Math, tangram, and maze games and we will be exploring more games in the future as we homeschool.
The world wide web is truly a gift for this generation. All the information that we need is on our fingertips. Acceptance opens doors for great possibilities. Let's face it. Kids nowadays are different from us although like us, they have different likes, ways, and needs too. They also learn through ways that they find very interesting so let us not take that opportunity away from them. We need to embrace the fact that technology is more engaging and delightful. Based on experience, it makes them more excited, motivated, and focused. Traditional ways of learning or the way we learn before may be effective to them at some point but not always.
Whether we like it or not, we need to keep up with the times. It is not an excuse that we are not technological savvy that's why we can't catch up with our kids as we teach them. We have to learn together with our kids. We have to show them that we are ready to enter their world all the time. If we immerse ourselves in the way that they learn best, the learning and teaching experience may be more successful. Time is not wasted as we take the opportunity to maximize the gift of technology.
Letting our kids and students experience technology through game-based learning is promising to their cognitive and emotional growth but never forget that the success of using technology still lies on the teacher. Therefore, learning is student-centered but it starts with the teacher.
