Gamification in Education - A robust shift

Do you recall the days we played outside like no man's business? I distinctly remember playing hopscotch, saakli, hide and seek, card games, and so on. We eagerly waited for school to end and rushed to the grounds, where our friends would be waiting. On reflection, I now realize the impact it had on my personality over time. It made me a social person and a team player and gave me the courage to lose over and over again but never give up. 

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Today, with the prevalence of technology in our lives, physical games have become less important. However, how can we integrate gaming into our classrooms to instill the ideal combination of knowledge, attitude, and values in our students?

Well, gamification is the answer. Gamification in education incorporates game design elements such as point scoring, peer competition, teamwork, and scoreboards in classroom environments to increase students' engagement and motivation. For example, if you are teaching addition to primary students, the teacher uses a physical deck of cards and has students randomly select any three cards in a row to add up to 10. She supports learning by having students log on to a virtual gaming platform, where they play with a deck of cards to create sets of ten, and, upon completion of the activity, they are rewarded with stars or applause. 

If you wonder why gamification is in classrooms, then gamification is learning with fun and increases engagement among the students, as all children naturally love to play. It allows students to play at their own level, thus avoiding judgment and criticism, and it builds confidence within the student. It allows students to move to higher levels on completion of lower levels and thus supports scaffolding and deepens understanding of the concept. 

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When students' will and skill are enhanced, learning outcomes surpass the learning objectives, leading to a more profound and lasting understanding of the material. When a classroom teaching-learning environment uses hands-on learning, whether physical or virtual, the learning will be lifelong. Moreover, students connect concepts to daily life situations. Ex: We still remember playing Queen of Sheba to date; a simple game used to create varied groups of say 3 or 5 people in a class of 40 students can help students understand the concept of division and the relationship between dividends, divisors, quotients, and remainders. 

It is more pertinent today, given that we are all sailing on an online platform with no physical access to our students. Gamification in e-learning allows us a glimpse into our students' conceptual understanding and their emotional and mental health. Every teacher has access to the gaming platform used by students in school and can see where each child is struggling or very comfortable, allowing them to take measures to support new learning accordingly. 

It also gives us a glimpse of mental and emotional health through engagement and attitude. Certain games require teamwork and collaboration, and when the child refuses to play, it is a red signal that something is wrong. The teacher immediately attends to it to resolve the concerns. 

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Implementing gamification could present challenges, particularly due to the vast curriculum offered by boards, which leaves teachers with less time and is a significant concern. Also, Indian classrooms have huge student strengths, so space for physical games can be a challenge. Here, e-games can support, but access to technology in every home remains a question mark. This challenge can become an opportunity for teachers to develop a growth mindset and an attitude of adaptive thinking. Moreover, creative, innovative teachers who care and love their students have always created that path, fostering an environment where gamification can thrive and enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. 

Gamification is already here, and both teachers and students who have access to it are embracing it positively. The new NEP speaks of a digital India with e-learning platforms like Diksha and Swayam to be extended, more virtual labs to be increased, and more teacher training on online learning. We can see the boards supporting gamification in education and using it as a tool to assess students' conceptual learning. According to Verified Market Research, the Global Gamification in Education Market was valued at USD 444.1 million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 3,959.4 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 31.29% from 2019 to 2026. We are going to see a robust shift towards digital learning in the future, so why not champion it immediately?