How gamification of education is simplifying the learning process

A reflex angle is more than 180 degrees and less than 360 degreesmdashthis statement might take you back to your classroom days with the math teacher drawing the angle on the blackboard It might even refresh the effort taken to get the concept right Today educational apps use visuals via simulations and more to explain simple to difficult concepts like these and are remarkably similar to video gamesThe gamification of education has become an integral part of the teaching process especially since students and avid learners were cooped up in their homes over the past few years with no access to the traditional classroom setupAs a result of the isolation gamified learning has become an important goto tool as observed by Dr Pravat Kumar Jena Assistant Regional Director IGNOU Regional Centre Bhubaneswar Jena mentioned it in her research article published a few months into the lockdown July 2020 titled Impact Of Pandemic COVID19 On Education In India that 32 crore learners stopped in India could not access educationGeetika Jand Teacher Cuemath PicShadab KhanWhat is gamification of educational content The use of design elements from the gaming world to teach concepts difficult to visualize for example What is the circumference of a circle or how does an isosceles triangle look likeMany educators like Anil Somani the chairman of FOSTIIMA Business School feels that these gaming elements help students grasp difficult concepts as the brain categorises learning to gaming and gives a hit of dopamine every time a student learns or solves a problem and earns badges ldquoWithin the EdTech realmrdquo he says ldquothere have been studies which show that the brain works in harmony with gamification and that it triggers the release of dopamine which gives players an increased feeling of motivation and enjoyment With the rise of gamification many educational technology companies have started to incorporate gamelike features into their platforms to enhance the learning experience This includes features such as point systems leader boards badges and rewards that motivate and engage students to keep learning They help facilitate encoding and retrieval of information more effectively making the process much more efficient and engagingrdquoEdTech has seen its fair share of research such as that by psychologist Matthew WG Dye C Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier in 2009 resulting in the paperIncreasing Speed of Processing with Action Video Games It found that gamers tend to be fast learners and said ldquoPlaying action video gamesmdashcontemporary examples include God of War Halo Unreal Tournament Grand Theft Auto and Call of Dutymdashrequires rapid processing of sensory information and prompt action forcing players to makes decisions and execute responses at a far greater pace than is typical in everyday life During game play delays in processing often have severe consequences providing large incentive for players to increase speed Accordingly there is anecdotal evidence that avid game players react more readily to their environmentrdquoPooja Salvi Duolingo USE Anil Somani Fostiima Chairman Byjursquos user Akash Pathak and Vikas Kakwani Aas founderOne of the few people who has been welcoming the use of gaming concepts into the EdTech space is avid gamer and CEO of All India Gaming Federation Roland Landers He feels that there has been a shift in the conversation about gaming in India as a whole but is glad that parents who earlier were averse to gaming now understand the reallife benefits for children ldquoA gamer is usually good at picking up concepts faster than those who do not play gamesrdquo he says ldquoSay someone who plays Call of Duty will understand a visual concept even outside of gaming almost immediately Usually those who have been gaming since they were kids are fastlearnersrdquo He welcomes the gamification of learning because ldquoearlier no one took the form of gaming seriously but now parents themselves are encouraging children to use these apps to learn math and science because itrsquos faster to absorb information when presented this wayrdquoVikas Kakwani founder of AAS Vidyalaya which works with providing online learning in rural India believes that simulations and graphics are a natural progression of good teaching methods ldquoI recall learning difficult concepts with the help of acronyms I am able to retain that sequence till date and that is what apps like these do They enable good teachers to impart ideas in an innovative and interactive way The end goal for those who truly want to teach and learn is to learn in the most effective way and these apps are doing that Additionally they give you the advantage of never missing a classrdquo he chucklesBack to reflex angle Geetika Jand is a senior math tutor at Cuemath an app that has only mathematics on its platform with over 12 years of experience in education ldquoI can explain the concept using simulationsrdquo she says ldquoand if the student is particularly weak we can even customise the plan and she will get a more handson approach as well As an educator I see no downside to online educationrdquoPooja Salvi a writer based out of Bengaluru uses Duolingo and Readle apps the former as a brushup tool to go with her offline German classes while the latter is an app version of the classic English grammar text book Wren and Martin ldquoGerman is like Indian regional languages in terms of personal pronounsrdquo she explains ldquoThey donrsquot have only lsquoyoursquo or lsquomersquo So I use Duolingorsquos audio option to replay pronunciation and practice Readle is a great way of exercisingEnglish grammarrdquoAditya Pathak a Calss X student attended his first class on Byjursquos in the first week of April and is prepping to enroll into his dream collegemdashShree Ram Collegemdashin Kolkata ldquoThe app is just fantasticrdquo he says ldquoat first they play a recording of the simulation video guided by a teacher that explains a Math concept Then another teacher in real time explains the concept further and addresses doubtsrdquo Recently they have switched to a hybrid systemmdasha teacher plays and explains a video in a physical classroomWith competitive exams becoming a frequent punctuation in a studentrsquos life every Jack and Jill could do to play and work a bit moreAlso Read Critics debate over NCERTs deletion of history chapters on Mughals empire