Educators often find themselves exploring innovative approaches to improving student learning, and one particularly creative avenue is integration games and joy in the learning environment. Navigating this terrain requires a delicate balance, ensuring that the joy and engagement of games enhance, rather than detract from, educational objectives, while seeking to foster inclusive and responsive pedagogy.
Playful pedagogy is an educational approach that emphasizes the use of play, games, and interactive activities to engage students in the learning process. Recognize the importance of enjoyment, curiosity and exploration to facilitate effective learning experiences. As educators seek to harness the power of playful pedagogy, it becomes important to explore its practical application in educational settings.
In this search, the Reinvent the classroom initiative, a collaborative effort led by Digital promise in partnership with HP, Microsoft and Intel, serves as an example for leveraging game-based learning for inclusive educational practices. The reinvention of the classroom HP Teaching Fellows They offer ideas on integrating games and playful learning into your lessons.
Types of players in educational environments
Playful learning and games can inherently motivate and engage students. Teachers can enhance learning experiences by drawing inspiration from game development. For example, it may be beneficial for educators to think of their students in terms of a modified version of Bartle's player types: Hunter, Socializer, Explorer, and Achiever. This approach allows educators to consider not only how students process information but also how they interact with the material and the classroom environment as a whole.
A Hunter is determined to win by defeating their opponents at any cost, while a Socializer focuses on collaboration and teamwork. Explorers seek to experience all aspects of an activity, often looking ahead at tasks and exploring all the links. The Achiever aims to earn badges and show achievements.
In a recent science lesson, high school biology students played House of light'Nano virtual reality (VR) adventure. The first experience featured action-packed, time-focused gameplay. The hunters and achievers enjoyed the game and even stayed after class to continue playing. The socializers expressed that they did not like the style of play. Paraphrasing: it's too stressful and fast-paced! The next Nano VR experience involved more teamwork and time to discuss what was happening. The socializers loved it and the achievers also responded positively.
Player types can also be used to group students. Before assigning groups, have students take a bartle test online, using the results to ensure that various types of players are represented in each group. This approach might be more successful for longer projects, especially when explaining the logic to an entire team. The use of player types, along with multiple intelligences, depth of knowledge questions, and different teaching modalities, provides an approach to education that engages students on a personal level.
Leverage board games for interactive learning
For those who are passionate and love playing board games, they could be used as a means to introduce teachers and students to the type of learning and instruction that can occur in a makerspace. Board games don't require teachers or students to learn new technologies, but instead focus on the mechanics of what makes a game fun while testing knowledge.
For example, students in Chinese classes 4 and 5 were assigned a short story about the historical account of Zheng He, a Chinese explorer who traveled through Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa more than 600 years ago. This story seemed like a perfect idea for a board game. The teacher was given a basic rubric for the physical project and then worked with a colleague to add some specific objectives about story elements that students should use that demonstrated a deeper understanding of the story and helped them improve their language. Chinese. skills. He divided his class into two groups and stood back as they began to develop their game. This relinquishment of control to allow students to interpret the task is when the magic happens. In the end, the students were able to create two very different and strong games.
By integrating games and fun into education, educators can create a positive and engaging learning environment that stimulates curiosity, motivation, and a love of learning.
For educators embarking on or even continuing the journey of implementing games and fun into learning experiences, embrace innovation, be open to experimentation, and view these approaches as complementary tools rather than divergent from traditional methods. By fostering an environment that fosters both academic growth and joy in learning, educators can pave the way for a more holistic and responsive educational experience.
In the wake of everything educators are going through these days, they have proven to be not only resilient but also innovative. They continue to intentionally find new and exciting ways to create powerful learning opportunities for all students. We invite you to learn more about our powerful learning principles and cutting-edge methods through the insights of HP Teaching Fellows via Digital Promise reinvents the classroom program.
