When I was in elementary school, we played a lot of math games on the computer if we finished a typing assignment early. My favourite game was Clue Finders which was a story about a group of mystery-solving teenagers where you would solve puzzles and answer questions on all subjects but mainly math. Now that iPads and laptops have become more accessible in the classroom, I’ve seen a lot more games being played on apps and newer websites but coolmathgames.com is still sticking around. As for teaching using online games, I think that it can be beneficial for learning typing and coding as well as being more accessible for diverse learners.
There are four types of educational games: gamified learning activities, single-player digital games, multiplayer games, and active versus immersive games. Gamification involves rewards, visually appealing aspects, progression of difficulty, feedback, and limitations. Playing games and having fun is part of growing up and should be integrated into lessons to be engaging. Play is a way for children to develop abstract imaginative thinking and realize goals that they could not yet achieve in real life (Vygotsky). Many teachers believe that gains are effective in motivating students, reinforcing mastery of content, providing useful information about student progress, and teaching new content. There are many barriers two integrating games in the classroom such as the cost of games, limited time, lack of technology, not knowing where to find resources, and emphasizing testing scores. If you’re willing to take the time and put in the effort you can create amazing games for your students and there are many free resources available such as Kahoot.
