Believe it or not, learning can be fun too. Teaching through exciting games and interactive activities is the new-age mantra of education. Evidently, schools and colleges are streamlining their curriculum with easy-to-handle tools of learning to impart lessons that are never boring but extremely enjoyable.
There is an array of online tools to test a learner’s intelligence quotient, general knowledge and cognitive skills. Plus, a plethora of hands-on-exercises comes in handy to hone a pupil’s fitness level and common aptitude. Education planners as well as policy makers on the administration front are therefore formulating modules to sow the seeds of atmanirbhar (self-reliance) and drive the skillset of a learner.
Online toolkit
The gadget-freak, cyber-savvy Gen-Z and Gen Alpha always remain glued to their smartphone video parlours and playstations with handheld consoles so that they can watch and play games on the go. They are the digital natives who are social media addicts and invariably consume daily updates from live-streaming services like a staple diet. Games and language apps are galore for this target segment to make the best use of.
Many game-inventing companies are launching their path-breaking products to woo students and tap a yet unmet need. “There is always a fear about the brain rot syndrome with the rise in mindless mobile usage and an excessive invasion of the social networking sites. However, the culture of gamified learning shines as a bright spot in the eyes of cynics too,” reflects Kolkata-based Sociology professor Lila Bhadra.
Game on
Gamified education fashions a domain of problems, puzzles, brainteasers and storyboarding to make lectures witty, humorous, mind-boggling and stimulating. It is a platform to transition traditional learning methods to dynamic formats, providing budding aspirants with countless opportunities before they step out into the big bad world.
“This is part of smart learning and serves the purpose of enriching minds since a primary stage. Creches, preschools, nurseries, kindergartens or other types of preparatory classes are no wonder toeing the line of gamified education instead of following a conventional routine,” confirms home tutor and content creator Anjana Bose.
A child is like a delicate sapling — feeble and fragile. It requires great care and nourishment to weather the gusty winds and toughen with time, she views. “Motivational and thought-provoking content can inspire it to mature into a sound human right from its formative years. That’s why it’s very important to make your offspring face brain-tickling challenges to tide over with courage and success since an early age,” she suggests.
Academic field
At the end of the day, one wonders if this is a good sign for a student’s future. Is it really worth introducing fun learning through games in school?
“The COVID-era saw the boom in hybrid learning and homeschooling. So gamification has been a significant part and parcel of education for the past few years. I definitely subscribe to this idea of pictorial learning as it sharpens the photographic memory of a child to help him/her retain the lessons delivered,” reasons Anamika Dasgupta, principal of The Wonder School, a preschool-cum-high school located in Pune.
The games are tailored to a learner’s needs and capabilities. At times, online education leads to individual attention given by the instructor to a batch of learners with a customised, personal touch.
Even parents and caregivers resort to such platforms so that the same produces the desired results. “I’ll certainly opt for a course that is best suited and prescribed for my child by a panel of experts,” confides Rekha Puri, guardian of a teenage vocational trainee.
Edutainment at large
The way mass media blends information with entertainment to spike the viewership rating, similarly learning is fused with regaling factors, such as flowcharts, 3-D diagrams, cartoons, stickers, tattoos, model-assembling, jigsaw puzzles, filling in the missing links, video content, animation, chatbots, AI-generated trainers, etc. to keep the content gripping and maintain student focus. It’s like a visual treat, much opposed to the drab letters in black and white!
Be it an institute of higher studies, technical schools or a professional training ground, every campus is redesigning its syllabi to align with seamless tutorials and hassle-free learning. From solving fun sums; cracking thrilling quizzes; drawing, painting, sketching; doodling cartoons, shaping clay models, building blocks, making cloth dolls to playing with sustainable toys or enrolling in online gaming sessions — education couldn’t be more fascinating than this.
Recreational activity (whether self-assigned tasks or shared experiences in group engagement and sporting activities) always entices susceptible young minds. Add to this, a palette of bright colours and a host of relatable pictures — kids are spoilt for choice to get inducted into a flurry of developmental programmes.
Audio-visual learning is in now. From tiny tots to high-school scholars, all have a rollicking time checking out contemporary mediums of instruction. This is a holistic approach to education that promises to nurture mind and body via online and onsite involvement.
“It could be amid nature in fresh air with verdant surroundings or via virtual classrooms with integrated immersive events. You could watch a robotic surgery on your laptop monitor as a medical student or touch-n-feel the leaves, flowers and fruits in the middle of greenery during a Botany class,” enthuses a varsity student pursuing Masters in Microbiology.
Realm of metaverse
“Both virtual games and offline gaming activities effectively enhance education by fostering interpersonal exchanges, critical thinking as well as tricks-and-riddle-solving. With the advent of metaverse, immersive avenues can copy real-world environments, enabling experiential learning and collaboration. These tools make abstract observations lucid and easy to comprehend, particularly in subjects like science, history and technology, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice,” recommends Muddassar Nazar, CEO of Birla Brainiacs, a hybrid homeschooling platform.
The market is glutted with close competitors, namely BYJU’s, Vedantu, Udemy, Unacademy, Simplilearn, et al.
“It is highly imperative to grow interest among the students and boost their curiosity levels to know and understand. Otherwise classes become dull and monotonous. Children should be eager to learn and adapt, and cannot be forced to absorb something that is least appealing to them. A spontaneous hunger for grasping the ropes should be there,” shares Mumbai-based nursery school teacher Rajani Chawla.
So give them an enlightening experience to indulge in some amusing tasks and see the results for yourself, is what many academic institutions preach and practise.
“They must imbibe all that is necessary to be a strong individual but at what cost? Education can’t be a burden on the pupils’ shoulders. It should emerge as the correct path to guide them all through their lives,” avers Mohan Mehta, parent of a B-school graduate and a veteran lecturer at a state government-run Commerce college.
Good news is that medical education in India is evolving fast to cater to the demands of modern healthcare. The stress is on creating a flexible, enchanting and student-centric learning atmosphere.
“By leveraging resources like innovative visual aids, simulation-based skill labs, communicative videos, disruptive technology and practical hands-on training, we aim to empower our students to address the real-world issues, such as emergency care, surgical procedures and trauma management. For the medical team is one among the first responders in times of crisis and during a calamity,” explains Dr. Benod Kumar. K, consultant head and neck oncologist, and the assistant dean at Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre.
The aforesaid tactic bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical application, equipping students with better skills and deeper awareness to excel in India’s rapidly advancing healthcare ecosystem.
Gaming tools
Attractively packaged with planning slides in Powerpoint presentations, parallax displays, panoramic views and what have you, gamified courses make worksheets and chapters look pleasantly eye-grabbing.
Gaming tools like VR headsets, augmented reality apps and interactive learning platforms, including Roblox Education and Minecraft: Education Edition, are redefining academics. In metaverse, educators can frame virtual classrooms, gamified lessons and simulations to allow students to learn, explore and connect freely, thereby offering a richer and much more personalised experience.
