Gamification in Learning: All that You Need to Know

Learning is a process of gaining knowledge and experiences that shape us into able individuals of society. It is a process that is not bound to any single form or source of extraction but can be derived from various sources and in different ways. Having said so, it is obvious that learning need not be a thing of monotony.

The change that has currently taken the prospect of learning by storm is the Gamification in Learning. Gamification in Learning is being introduced amongst students in order to make learning more fun.

To learn more about the basics of Gamification in Learning, Ezyschooling conducted a panel discussion on ‘Easy Steps for Gamification in Learning’ a few days back. We had the following esteemed panelists:

• Dr. Meenakshi Narula, Principal at Shemford Futuristic School in Auraiya,
• Mrs. Neeti Bhalla Saini, Executive Principal at GEMS Modern Academy in Gurugram,
• Mrs. Pooja Lamba, Headmistress at The Millennium High School in Lucknow and
• Mr. Rahul Utamchandani, Co-Founder at Borad EduGames

What is meant by Gamification in Learning?             

In simple terms, Gamification in Learning refers to the use of fun game elements and game principles in the context of learning, like assigning fun tasks and pointers. The inclusion of Gamification in learning helps to increase engagement in learning and make them actually look forward to learning.

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The Scenario of Online Classes

As the classes shifted online due to the pandemic, imparting education was a matter of concern looking at the decreasing graph of mental health. It was getting difficult for children to concentrate on their studies, with so many things going around. It was also proving to be a little monotonous for the teachers as well.

Agreeing with Rahul sir’s statement, students are now a lot smarter. So we need to realize that the way of teaching them also has to change.

The inclusion of Gamification in learning came as a warm sun on a chilly day. It made the children escape from their otherwise monotonous routine of learning from home. They were now actually looking forward to attending their classes, looking forward to learning.

The teachers and parents too had a great role to play when it came to getting the children used to Gamification in Learning.

Role of Teachers

As pointed out by Neeti Ma’am, online learning was turning out to be a one-way communication from the side of the teachers, student-teacher interaction was almost zero. It is getting difficult for teachers to engage children as they are not constantly around them, physically. It becomes very difficult for teachers to keep the children engaged while in online classes.

Gamification in the classroom has helped teachers deal with this problem. They give children interesting tasks as a part of their learning to draw their interest. Teachers were now successfully able to match traditional teaching standards, allowing fun and interaction to be a part of learning. Teachers were now developing into facilitators of the child’s learning.

Role of Parents

As Pooja ma’am mentioned, prior to the pandemic, when classes were held offline, teachers were the torch-bearers in ensuring learning. They were the only ones who planned out classes and made classes interactive. But now, children study from homes, and hence, parents too have become involved in the learning process.

It is now on the parents to ensure that the child has a cozy place to attend classes from. They are the ones who can help them out with the different teaching methods adopted by the teachers. They are the ones helping the child adapt to the changes in the learning system.

Can learning be fun?

Time and again, we have stressed enough that learning can be fun. Learning is not just confined to formal institutions, reading out of books and jotting down notes. So, if you think that learning refers to mugging up facts and history, you are so wrong.

Learning has now become more practical. It teaches students through experience more than just blurting out theories. And the scenario of online education has helped a lot in this realization.

Gamification in learning has further helped to make the learning process fun. Children can now employ fun techniques to learn. Teachers can also plan out different interesting activities for children to engage themselves during online classes, and to increase interaction.

Learning games are also being introduced by the parents to help the children study at home. If that’s not fun, then what is?

The Underlying Principles of Gamification in Learning

Meenakshi ma’am rightly mentions that we need to focus more on the quality of learning, rather than the quantity. Learning is not just confined to learning facts and theories from textbooks. It is more about acquiring experiences that make a mark on the child’s mind.

As Gamification of learning is gradually growing popular, children are now getting more engaged with learning. Learning has become more fun and efficient, allowing children and teachers to explore their creative sides.  Elements such as point scoring, friendly competition, team playing, etc. are some of the great gamification examples that not only make learning fun for children but also give them a first-hand chance at exploring the basic elements of the real world.

For students, however, as Neeti ma’am mentions, excessive use of points and badges can make children more competitive and deviate them from the actual goal, which is learning. So we need to be careful in introducing children to Gamification in learning.

Achieving Gamification in Learning

E-learning successfully helped us realize that mobile, laptops, and the Internet can be used as resources to study as well. And as Gamification in learning slowly came into the picture, it helped children to think out of the box, or as Pooja ma’am mentions, helping them polish their high-order thinking skills.

Below stated are some of the benefits of achieving Gamification in Learning.

Fun Learning

Gamification in learning helps children to explore the fun in learning. The use of different fun techniques in otherwise monotonous classes helps to grasp the kids’ attention. As a result, as Meenakshi ma’am points out, children look forward to attending classes.

Interactive Classes

As pointed out by our panelists, teachers registered a dip in the students’ interaction compared to the traditional teaching method. But with Gamification in learning, techniques like flip classes encourage children to participate more in their classes.

Accessing Practicality

Traditional learning confines children more to theory rather than practical approaches. With Gamification in learning, children can experience the practicality of learning. They can test the consequences of their actions in real-time and thus, learn better.

The Role of the Family

The parents now stay more at home and can give more time to the children. They can now supervise the kids better in their studies. And as Rahul sir pointed out, parents can make use of many offline games to sustain Gamification in learning.