If you’ve ever seen the latest debates for advancing education, you’ve probably seen the topic of video games in school and if we should use such to promote learning. Well, there are many points of view in this regard and lots of them are supporting this method of education. After all, everything is going forward in the world of technology and it makes sense that we should use more technology in education, too. Let’s see some more on this very hot topic of why should we employ more video games in school.
STEM Education Promotion Through Video Games
When there is a debate on using video games in education, there is one point that is brought forward on why should we employ this method. This is the fact that video games can help students advance in STEM education and stay longer in this field. Usually, the reason behind why students drop out of STEM is due to how difficult the introductory courses are. Yet, through the employment of video games we can ease this process and help students succeed more in such classes. Those games can be used as learning-based tools to help players master core concepts and practices behind science, technology, engineering and math.
Improved Engagement
One further reason used in the debate on video games and education is that through those means we can help students be more engaged in the content. After all, even if we extend the school day, we still cannot achieve the same time of learning that can be added through video games (and, of course, extending the school day isn’t a favorite in the eyes of the students). Through video games we can maximize the time spent learning because we are promoting more engagement on the particular task at hand. Student will be more curious and more interested in the topics presented. Thus, they’d learn faster and easier. Especially true this is when we consider time out of class that is usually allocated to homework. We can have students more engaged in homework if we present via video games.
More Fun
Talking about how kids are learning from video games, we cannot help but note the following – with a great deal more fun. After all, we cannot just give students education, they need to construct their knowledge themselves. Especially when it comes to complex topics and higher-level subjects, video games can present a way to do so and to do so with more fun. Challenging concepts and other learning material can be comprehended much better if they are taught through video games. Via such games students can construct their own knowledge and develop plenty of important core skills, including literacy, logical thinking, abstract thinking, etc.
Leaning from Experience
Another benefit of having video games in classrooms is the fact that through them kids learn from experiencing various scenarios and topics. This is even more important when it comes to 21-century skills. For instance, leadership is a great skill that can be taught via the use of video games. Usually, those skills cannot be learnt in the typical classroom as we have it now. They require a different method of instruction – to allow kids to experience the world, even if fictional, themselves and get in the particular role that requires them to employ those skills. Through this method they are learning much more rapidly and take in vital lessons that are later going to be transferable to the real life. So, video games can help kids learn from experience and get a better development in 21-century skills – ones that are so important for the today’s world and essential for all our future leaders.
Individualized Learning
A huge problem in today’s education is the wide gap between the top students and those who are lacking particular knowledge or are having a hard time catching up with the class. But this gap can be filled via video games – for they allow for individualized learning. So, they can be used to help advanced students go even further. Or they can aid those who are behind to leap forward and grasp the material they are struggling with. Through the help of video games one can help fill this gap that is making in-school education less efficient than it could be.
Stress Relief
If you’ve ever had so many essays that you needed to pay for essay writing, then you know how stressful school can be. Sure, through essay writing you can relieve some of that stress and get some help with your assignments. This is a way to micromanage your schedule and allow for a better time allocation. But another way to make students less stresses out and anxious is through video games. They relieve the tension that we’ve accumulated through our day-to-day life at school or in college and they allow for better control over our anxiousness and emotions. So, this is one way to prevent student burn-out and ensure a calmer, more relaxed, and comforting environment.
Conclusion
Sure, if we have to go in-depth onto the topic of education and video games, we can bring in dozens of other points of view, facts, etc. Yet, we consider the above to be the most important facts that you need to know to see why it’s better if we employ more video games in school. This would promote learning in a novel and more individual-suited way than before. What’s even more, video games can teach a lot of things that we cannot put into practice in nowadays’ classroom setting. Through the usage of technology many advanced can be made in education. So, it’s worth considering this method of schooling and thinking about how we can employ this.
The opportunities are hundreds of thousands. Plenty of subjects and topics can be turned into video games. Many skills, concepts, etc. can be taught through technology. This would also bring in more socialization and fun and more stress relief into the kids’ days – something that is definitely an added bonus.