Background
This was the inventor of using games as an instructional strategy who is also referred to as the father of kindergarten.
Friedrich Froebel
Instructional games can help students?
comprehend the content that they are learning, because they are not fearful of what the consequences may be if they do not perfectly understand the content.
This is the best way to implement instructional games in the classroom.
Establish procedures, practice procedures, and be consistent.
It is important for teachers to keep this in mind when planning for instructional games.
Instructional games must be aligned with the learning goals
All content areas and grade levels
This is another reason why games are beneficial to students.
“Games are beneficial because they actively involve students in their own learning, provide immediate feedback, enable students to practice communication skills, create a high degree of interest and enthusiasm, and promote and reward analytical and critical thinking” (Moore & Hanson, p. 240)
Some procedures include...
Putting away materials after games, putting away laptops after a game, or answering questions in group games.
Instructional games should...
Apply to diverse learning styles
This educational theorist would advocate for instructional games in the classroom as this promotes social interaction.
Lev Vygotsky
Teachers can also benefit from instructional games in the sense that?
Games “allow teachers to address a wide range of student capabilities at the same time and allow safe experimentation with a model of the real environment” (Moore & Hanson, p. 240).
You must be _____ with the procedures so that students know the expectations throughout instructional games.
Consistent
Games are most appealing to the following intelligences
Linguistic, logical-mathematical, and spatial
Using instructional games in the classroom is a great way to supplement______.
Teachers can use this to assess student understanding.
Instructional games
Games can often create this type of environment if procedures are not in place.
Chaotic
Teachers can furthermore use instructional games as this type of assessment.
Formative assessment
This was a study done which analyzed the effectiveness of games as an instructional strategy.
Serrano and Anderson (2004) found that fifth grade students had better knowledge of the food pyramid and nutrition when they were able to play a game as opposed to the group that received no instruction.
This is another benefit for both students and teachers.
Instructional games are a great strategy to see where students’ are at academically, without making them feel like they are being tested.
In order to feel confident in the routine, students must do this.
Practice the procedures
When choosing an instructional game, teachers should look for this.
Teacher control, intuitiveness, engagement, content types, and content levels