Why playing digital games can help one learn better
Games present content with stimulated context which helps in better learning
Digital learning has fundamentally changed teaching and learning as we know it. For teachers, digital resources have eased the implementation of what is known as “best practices”. For students, digital learning techniques such as videos, live classes, practise, tests and Edu games have helped mirror students’ use of multimedia outside classrooms; creating deeper engagement and improving academic achievement. Integration of digital learning games into instruction is empowering the growth of today’s learners as collaborators, problem-solvers, and content creators.
Edu Games stimulate the brain at a sweet spot of learning
Digital educational games, whose chief purpose is not pure entertainment, present content with stimulated context when compared to traditional educational formats such as textbooks.
ZPD is defined as the zone of proximal development in the brain and considered the sweet spot of learning. It is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can achieve only with help, such as guidance, persistence and encouragement.
With an increasing amount of research suggesting that video games help in stimulating the ZPD, educational games have been breaking into K-12 mainstream. Successfully designed games tend to aim towards a player’s ZPD, where a player can succeed, but only through effort and some struggle. Games, therefore measure player skill and then provide an appropriate response (feedback, consequences, next actions) based on that information.
Having a near similar learning outcome as using case studies in business schools, Edu games in K-12 learning help simulate game environments that reduce the cost and risks associated with failing. Educators believe that gaming helps students dig deeper into the material, retain what was being taught, and develop a belief that they could learn if they worked hard at something.
Edu Games support building a growth mindset in students
Decades of research by scholars have found that different beliefs (or mindsets) about one’s ability can result in different learning behaviour and outcomes. People with a fixed mindset believe that abilities are fixed, either innate or fully developed in one’s early life stages. By contrast, people with a growth mindset believe that abilities can be developed through learning and practice; therefore, if one puts extra effort into learning tasks, one’s abilities can grow incrementally through practice.
Researchers and video game experts believe Edu games can support building a growth mindset in students a variety of ways:
- Levelling up. Students feel a sense of accomplishment when they reach target scores and are motivated to engage as they advance, learn, and achieve in the program.
- Learning from mistakes. Games provide students with a safe place to make mistakes, learn, and ultimately succeed over time.
- Visualize growth and progress. Games utilize features such as progress maps and statistics to show a player where they have the potential to progress. Daily top scores motivate them to continue trying.
- Experiencing growth. Students experience growth as they have opportunities to evolve, take on new abilities, or earn add-ons with tasks in their games.
- Real-life growth. Apps with game-like elements, transfer growth to real-life by tracking progress towards learning and knowledge.
Toppr’s Learn with Games centre makes use of gaming principles to help students learn better. By making use of live challenges, mental maths, and options to create learning challenges, this feature aims to provide students with an engaging platform where they can challenge themselves and their friends by tracking their progress. Available for free, educators can find more information about the development of Toppr learning challenges here.
