28 Game-Based Learning
Courtney Denmark
Strategy Overview:
- Game-based learning is a strategy in which academic concepts are taught and reviewed in an interactive way.
- This can be digital (Kahoot, Gynzy, WordWall, etc.) or non-digital (board games, puzzles, card games), and has been proven to be beneficial in early childhood education (Alotaibi 2024).
- This strategy is important because it shows that learning can be more than just sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher lecture. Game-based learning allows for students to have a little bit more fun while they learn and practice their skills.
- Educational game-based learning promotes cognitive development, and not only does it help students learn vocabulary skills, it helps them develop problem- solving skills, memory, attention, and processing speed (Alotaibi 2024).
- Game-based learning also increases motivation and engagement to learn in our students. There are a lot of times in which typical instruction and skill practice is considered to be dry and boring, but including game-based learning allows for students to do something different and change it up (Alotaibi 2024).
Strategy in Action
One way that this can be used in the classroom is by creating a Kahoot game that reviews the vocabulary for a particular unit. The Kahoot game can be done before and after learning. Initially, it can be used as a way to gauge students’ prior knowledge, and it can be used afterward as a way to see what they have learned.
Related Resources:
Alotaibi M. S. (2024). Game-based learning in early childhood education: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1307881. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1307881
