The gamification model is a new type of learning that children find fun and therefore works. They learn effortlessly and also have a good time. It is a way of introducing games not only as fun, but also as educational. For this reason both educational professionals and boys and girls are delighted.
Gamification
Gamification is therefore an educational learning technique where games are the protagonists to achieve better academic results in students. These games can help students in many areas such as:
- Improve skills
- Satisfaction with the objectives achieved
- Improve knowledge
- Solve problems in a playful way
- Manage emotional control
There are many objectives, depending on the type of game and what you want to achieve with it. What matters is to focus on the results but make the effort the most important in the whole process. By having a fun character, children better internalize the contents almost immediately, because they are having fun and do not realize that they are learning.
This learning does not require effort because for the student it becomes a positive experience. Being this way, he does not perceive learning as something tedious, that tires him or that causes him discomfort.
In this sense, students do not realize that they are learning or studying, they only perceive that they are having a good time while playing, although they are learning in parallel.
Motivation through play
The key to this learning technique is motivation. Students are motivated externally, but the best motivation that happens is the internal one, the one that comes from within oneself. Gamification achieves this thanks to its specific characteristics. Teacher can also using ladder method strategy to motivate students.
This will make them feel that they are the ones in control of the situation, the ones who decide whether to learn or not, but since they are so motivated they decide to play, and learn… thanks to this, they will have a commitment to themselves and to learning. They will want to overcome themselves to achieve better results through different learning techniques embodied in the games.
Mechanical technique
The mechanical technique is the way to reward the student whenever he fulfills a series of objectives of the game. This external reward will make his internal motivation grow more, it does not really become an external motivation at any time.
There are mechanical techniques that are commonly used. Some of them are:
- Accumulation of points. Those who get the most points will have a better chance of achieving the objectives.
- Level scaling. The levels are reached, the objective being to move on to the following.
- Awards. As objectives are met, prizes are received and collected.
- Gifts. They are obtained when objectives are achieved.
- Classifications. Players are classified depending on the points or objectives they are achieving. The best will be at the top of the ranking list.
- Challenges. Competitions are held between the players and the best is the one who takes the points or the prize.
As you can see, this technique is ideal to enhance that motivation so important in the students, so that they want to continue playing and achieve the objectives, which in this case would be learning and knowledge acquisition.
Among the dynamics that are most used are:
- Rewards. Obtain benefits.
- Status. Have a good social hierarchical level.
- Achievements. Personal improvement or satisfaction.
- Competition. Compete to achieve better results than others.
Depending on what you want to achieve, you will find a way to achieve the objectives in the technique in order to obtain the best possible results. The important thing about this is not to play in itself, but that the score-reward-goal system is efficient and that the children feel motivated to continue with their learning.
