Education through Games

Education through games? Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But it sure is true. Well, times are changing for sure. With the turn of the 21st century, we have progressed very rapidly in different domains such as personal technology, medicine and science; and education is no exception to this rule.

Methods of education are changing across the world. In India, however, we still have a fairly traditional system of education. So it is time that we revamped our system a little to make it more contemporary and enriching. One useful way of doing that is providing education through games. Games are surely great teachers. For instance, research has shown that video games, which are usually associated with promoting laziness, actually assist in teaching varied subjects ranging from Mathematics to Music. This is because it engages learners and involves them in the learning process.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of the famous book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, is a very strong advocate of the educational abilities of games. In his book, Kiyosaki has created a game called Cashflow 101. It is a board game designed to educate players about the different notions of earning through investments. This was also released in the form of a computer game and both were extremely successful.

Games help kids to become self-reliant in terms of learning. They provoke the children to start thinking for themselves and questioning ideas presented to them instead of merely gulping them down and reproducing them in examinations. You will come across several instances where kids lose concentration after sometime while sitting in a traditional classroom.

The great thing about education through games is that kids are made to think and process information while they are playing them. Games also appeal to others kinds of learners for whom books might not work such as children who prefer to learn by doing.

Educational games make learning fun, but more importantly, they ensure that learning actually occurs. They also help in the reduction of stress levels among kids by presenting assessment exercises like tests and exams in a more interactive format. In addition, a combination of education and entertainment can act as a strong motivator for students.

Education with Entertainment

Does it have to be a battle for the mother to get her son to study? Do board exams have to scare students? Do text books have to be boring? And do stereotyped final exams have to be the only way to test children?

Today, we are dealing with a world of change. And no, we need not accept the same old teaching practices only because that’s how they have been. From parents to teachers to students, everyone is ready to explore innovative and efficient ways of learning. The concept of interactive learning has arrived and is here to stay.

Schools are changing their conventional ways and adopting edutainment. Contests and quizzes are replacing the exams that once intimidated students. Children are taught self-analysis and self-assessment instead of rigidly evaluating them. Gone are the days when board and competitive exams were considered the only means of testing a student’s knowledge.

We have all identified the need to educate the young ones if we are to envisage a better future. If education is to fulfil its purpose, it needs to be in keeping with their preference, interests and the changing times. If textbooks bore them, how are they going to learn from them?

Mexus Education has been one of the first to identify and welcome this change in traditional learning methods. It’s new NCERT curriculum-based Iken Books are signs of tectonic shifts in the field of education.

Studies have proved that children learn faster from story books and comic books, besides enjoying them more. This is precisely why educators are moving to the use of comic text books, creatively designed curriculums and innovative education.

We stand at a point where change in education is inevitable as much as it is desired. Comic books that teach, movies that educate and free online games that test are becoming a part of the classroom. And there’s no denying that they are doing a job better than the dull text books of yore.

Comics and Exams

The last few hours before an examination are intense for both kids and their parents. While parents are busy making sure their kids have revised every bit of their study material, kids are plain bored with the excessive cramming that is happening. They would like to do nothing better than pick up their favourite comic and unwind.

This gets me to think what a great tool the comic book would make at the time of exams. With just a little effort, comic books can be designed innovatively such that they become one of the ways to prepare for exams. The creative content in comic books is said to have better recall value than the conventional text books. Kids are sure to remember chronology, time-lines, name of places, historical characters when presented in the form of graphic books.

Think of young children discussing Science, Geography and maybe even History with the same interest as Superman and Batman, quizzing one another using their Iken Books and acing tests just like that!

Not only can this revolutionize learning methods, but also the process of revision. The otherwise boring question banks that kids usually skip in their text books can be replaced by fun games and tests. Even the last minute revisions seem less stressing.

While recognizing the need to innovate learning, Mexus Education has turned to comic book resources, Iken Books and other comic text books to teach children. A welcome change for teachers, parents and definitely for the students.

From time immemorial, the image of a child hiding his comic inside his text book speaks of his disinterest in studies. But today, the winds of change have come; urging us to open our minds to newer methods of preparing for exams. Kids need no longer hide those comic books for the day has come when parents will be happy to see their kid with comic book in his hand. And as for the kids, they’ve always enjoyed it!