How Teachers Can Encourage Learning Through Video Games
Along with the current technology advancements, modern education has quickly changed. The new generation of students has developed quite a bunch of innovative tendencies. Unfortunately, most of our teachers have been born before this technological boom.
Teachers often aren’t used to the present digital era that we’re living in, so that’s why it’s important for them to adapt as soon as possible. Nowadays, students have different interests compared to the previous generations. Students are now more preoccupied with social media, video games, and the internet in general.
Internet: A Distraction or A Useful Tool?
Being an old-school teacher nowadays isn’t an easy thing. With today’s distractions, students are not paying the necessary attention and many of them don’t really care about school. That is why many teachers try to adapt to the current situation and begin using modern learning techniques.
The web provides a lot of studying and development opportunities. It is truly a complex tool that makes education easier. This, of course, applies if the web resources and techniques are used accordingly. As I see it, a successful teacher needs to do two things: (1) gain the student’s attention, and (2) once he is receptive, educate him using correct and useful information.
The most frequent student’s and kid’s passion nowadays: video games. Quite a lot of teens would rather play a video game instead of studying or reading a book. Here are some ways in which teachers can encourage learning through video games and how to use them for educational and development purposes.
1. Strategic ways of thinking
There are a lot of video games genres, and one of them is the strategic type. Games such as Age of Empires, Civilization, and Stronghold Crusader are few of them. By playing a few of these strategy games, a student can learn how to strategize better, how to manage his available resources, and how to deal with threats and defend himself from them.
2. Learning new vocabulary
Most of the video games nowadays contain a lot of new information that you can't find in school’s textbooks. The vocabulary is neither too complex, neither too simple. When a teen plays a game, he automatically becomes accustomed to certain terms and words. Their vocabulary is slowly growing as they begin playing more and more games.
3. Increased focus
Every video game requires a certain degree of focus to complete. Some of these video games will teach a student how to shift his focus from one thing to another. Video games force you to quickly adapt to the situation, shift your focus, and find a proper solution for your problem. These abilities are useful in the real life.
4. Better abilities to remember information
As mentioned before, there are all types of video games. Some of them are solely educational. With a quick Google search, students can find useful video games that help to improve one’s memory. Many of them, if played for a longer period of time, will offer a lot of long lasting benefits when it comes to remembering information.
The world is evolving quickly, and teachers need to adapt to the current tendencies. Taking advantage of the mentioned tips above can only lead to a better education process and a better student’s development.
About the Author
Jessica Freeman is a professional journalist and a devoted freelance content writer at the company Australian Writings. She enjoys writing about education, success, and academic innovations. She considers content writing to be her passion. You can follow her on Facebook and Google+.