Cassie Titus

Composition

4/16/18

Games Should be Used in the Classroom

Stathakis, who is a teacher, said, “ I have never had a student ask “Why are we playing

games?” Instead, students usually ask, “Can we play this again soon?” Stathakis would play a

card game with her lower level Spanish classes. The students were in groups of four to five. Each

person read the directions for the card game and then the game was played in complete silence.

After the first round, one of the students from each group moved to a different group. When the

students first started, they did not know that each group was given different rules. When the

students moved to a new group, she said they were often confused and unsure as to why the other

people were playing differently than how they had played it before. Then, they played the game

again, but she allowed all the students to talk and explain the different rules and then game ran

more smoothly. She played this game to help the students realize how important it is to learn

other languages so that we can properly get along and understand how different areas of the

world work (para. 3). This is an example of an offline game.

There are also online games such as Kahoot. Kahoot is website that teachers can get on

and create their own set of questions to ask the class. The whole class plays but each student

individually answers the questions using a device such as a laptop or smartphone. Before the

game starts, the student types in a certain code that is given to the teacher and then their name.

Once the game starts, the question will pop up on the screen in front of the classroom (a teacher

will usually use this game if they have a smartboard or a pull down screen with a projector) and

then a few seconds later the answers to choose from show up on the screen. The students will
then have a certain amount of time that is decided by the teacher (usually around 15-30 seconds).

The answers will appear next to either a triangle, a square, a circle, or a diamond. Once the

whole class has answered, the correct answer will show up on the screen and on the student’s

individual screen, it will tell them if the got it wrong or correct. After each question it will put all

the students in a placement from first to last based on how many correct answers they’ve gotten

and how fast they answered the question. The top five students will be put on the “leaderboard”.

Citizen Science is an example of a simulation. Simulations are online but they’re not

necessarily the type of games where you win rewards. A computer simulation is similar to a walk

through video that is used to explore a real-world or hypothetical situation or system by showing

what the scenario would look like or be like in real life. Citizen Science was originally created to

allow players to use scientific thinking to solve problems about river ecology (Schwarts 846).

Now the website is full of simulations and online games in other scientific areas.

Not only do most students prefer to play these types of games in the classroom, but I

believe these games should often be used in the classroom because it is scientifically proven to

help most students. The learning games they play can help them absorb and engage in what they

should be learning while using collaboration skills and/or technology skills. Like I said, offline

games, online games, and simulations are all very helpful and learning theorists agree. They can

be used in any subject and I will give you specific examples.

Games and simulations can be used in the science classroom. For example, there was a

teacher who used Citizen Science as a lesson. As the students were going through the

simulations, if a student got stuck and didn’t know what to do next, the teacher had the students

ask the other students what they should do next. Although the students were completing an

independent assignment, conversing with others about the simulations caused it to be more social
and cooperative (Schwarts 846). Simulations would be best for science class because they help

one get a realistic and in-person view of something that you might not actually be able to see in

the classroom without it. It would be helpful in areas such as seeing a knee surgery,

phosphorylation, electrical circuits, and atomic interactions. Games like Kahoot! Could be

helpful in the vocabulary section of learning in science. For example, in anatomy there are

numerous terms that students have to memorize such as calcaneus, deltoid, mandible, and so

much more.

Zarzycka-Piskorz said, “More and more learning games emerge and bring a promise to

help to learn a language.” Using games to learn grammar is also helpful and it was proven by a

study. A study was done by General English language students at the Pedagogical University in

Kraców, Poland. They used Kahoot! for the study. It involved 112 students that were between 19

and 24 years old and their language level was upper-intermediate. The questions focused on

grammatical content ranging from irregular verb forms, question formation, and various tenses.

Ninety percent stated that they had learned the grammar they were supposed to because of the

game and that playing a game in class with others was either very enjoyable or quite enjoyable.

Ninety-four percent found themselves interested in it and a small percent (12%) decided that it

was either very or quite stressful. Eighty percent of the students said they recommend this way of

learning and 87% said that this form is better than the traditional methods of teaching. Sixty-

seven percent pressed the positive feeling icon, 11% felt neutral, and only 6% felt negative.

The negative feeling icon could have been pressed because of the student being

disappointed because he/she didn’t do well or even had technical failures. Obviously the 6% of

students could have truly felt negative towards the game but these are just two examples of

logical alternatives. Also, the 12% that said playing Kahoot! was very or quite stressful is
expected. Not every student is going to thrive and enjoy every activity used in the classroom.

That is why teachers need to mix things up and try different things so each student is able to give

their full capabilities to learning.

Not only do games help with English grammar for students who already know English,

but it is also very beneficial for learning English as a new language, specifically in an ESL

classroom (Saha and Singh 180-183). ESL stands for “English as a second language”. Students

who begin going to an English speaking school but aren’t very fluent in it will go to an ESL

classroom to help them learn in their native language until they get more comfortable with the

English language (Morin, para. 1-3). By playing offline games, this allows them to grow in their

reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills for English.

Valipour and Aidinlou conducted a study with 38 male and female students of 6- 8 years

age. The result showed that using offline language games to teach English as a foreign language

at preschool level had a positive effect. He also claimed that the students had performed better

with this method of teaching rather than with the earlier method of teaching. “Games help a

teacher to create contexts in which a learner can use language in a meaningful way by helping

and supporting peers. While participating in any game, learners have to speak or write to express

their point of view or give information and also have to understand what others are saying or

have written. In this way, learners learn to collaborate with each other which help them to adjust

themselves to others in the real social situation. Games are one of the best social skill training

activities” (Saha and Singh). As these authors just said, having the students participating in

offline learning games, the students become engaged, learn the information, and gain

collaboration skills.
 Similarly to learning English with games in the classroom, it is very beneficial to learn

any language. I know from personal experience learning French and Spanish was so much easier

and more obtaining when I played games. It was especially helpful when I played fast paced

games that were repetitive. Stathakis mentions this in her article in paragraph four. I used a site

with those qualities most often in French class: Quizlet. Quizlet allows you to do many different

types of studying such as just plainly flashcards, you can take tests, or you can play games

(which is the fast paced part). You can play a timed matching game (matching the word to the

definition) or you can play a game called gravity and you have to type the definition or word that

is on the rocks before they approach the bottom of the screen. My Spanish teacher registered her

classes on a website called Conjuguemos. This was sort of like a flash card type of site. The

Spanish word would show up and then you would have to type in the English version of the word

or vice versa. Sometimes we had to complete a certain amount of words within a class period as

an assignment but we also had a quiz every single Thursday and for every five minutes that we

practiced on Conjuguemos we got a point of extra credit.

Although not every type of game or simulation is going to help every student, the games

do help most of them. Me, a Spanish education student, and other teachers need to make sure

we’re mixing the games up. Yes, the students need repetition of information but there should be

different games being used. If they keep playing the same game over and over, it will become

monotonous and once again become uninteresting like worksheets and textbooks.

Games in the classroom cause collaboration with peers. This is why games are so

beneficial and create a good foundation for how students will be when they’re older and in the

workforce. One of the most important skills for having a job is to be able to communicate with

others well and be able to work together. By playing games with other students in the classroom,
this allows not only for the intended information to be learned, but also communication and team

work. Collaborative learning is practically dire for students to be able to do well in their future

careers. Without it, they will not be as prepared to work with coworkers as they could be.

Collaborative learning is when a group of students are working together solve a problem,

complete an assignment, or create something. It permits learner-centered instruction. Instead of

the teacher always being straight forward and telling the students all the answers. This allows

them to be able to think for themselves and create a product of learning on their own. Small

group learning creates a safer environment for the shyer students and may lower anxiety. Saha

and Singh say that learning through offline games also helps students learn skills such as active

listening, respect, manners, a positive attitude, and social awareness (Saha and Singh).

Vygotsky, a learning theorist, believes the only way someone can learn is socially (Saha

and Singh 180-183). When we’re young, we learn how to act by seeing and watching our

parents. When we’re in school, we learn by our teachers communicating with us what we need to

know. If there was no one else on earth, only you, you wouldn’t be able to learn very well or

according to Vygotsky, you wouldn’t be able to learn at all.

Shapiro says that a study in 2013 was done and “when digital games were compared to

other instruction conditions without digital games, there was a moderate to strong effect in favor

of digital games in terms of broad cognitive competencies.” “Ed Dieterle from Shapiro’s article

said that students who aren’t learning by playing a game of any sort, would improve their

achievement by 12% if they played a game. In the same study, simulations were looked at also

and students had improved by 25% because of using them. A study was done using 694

kindergarten through eighth grade teachers and there was a significant trend that appeared with

the lower performing students. The students that tend to struggle with learning in the traditional
school environment of sitting in desks and reading out of a textbook and filling out worksheets,

benefited from learning through classroom games. Sixty-five percent of the teachers said the

lower performing students showed an increase in engagement and only 3% said they saw a

decrease (Shapiro).

The teacher that I mentioned at the beginning of the essay named Stathakis explains that

students can learn how to take on a new concept or different perspective through offline games.

The example that I gave allowed her to be able to teach her students about how necessary

learning other languages are. She also explains that by using offline games students gain critical

thinking skills, creativity, teamwork, and good sportsmanship. By playing offline games students

often form memories that will help them learn better. If there is silly or interesting moment

during the game, that information will stick out in their brains and when it comes time to actually

use that information (on a quiz, test, or even in real life circumstances) it will be easy to

remember.

The owner of Kahoot! agrees with Stathakis when she says that games help students with

creativity. He says, “We need to bring back the concept of play so that they can learn and explore

in a much better way than what we have today so that when they come out of the educational

system they can figure out things we don’t know and be the creatives of the future” (Collins para

4).

A concern that was brought up in Schwarts article is the fact that there was a study done

with three lake science experts and three lake science novices. They were all told to play one of

the simulations on Citizen Science and the experts were barely even able to complete half of the

amount of tasks assigned compared to the novices. These novices were high school students.

They played video games frequently. Because they were experts at video games, they were able
to do better with the simulations than the experts on lake science who do not play video games

often. The researchers concluded that to be able to play online games and simulations in the

classroom, it is necessary that the students know how to play the games and work the simulations

or else they will not be able to efficiently learn the information they need to.

Intrinsic motivation is one of the most important factors to education. Intrinsic motivation

is basically self-determination. Rather than students getting candy because they finished reading

a book, with intrinsic motivation they read the book because they personally enjoy it and believe

its fun and valuable to their time. For a student to be self-motivated, they need competence,

relatedness, and autonomy. Competence is the desire to have control and know how things will

turn out in the end due to our actions. Relatedness is the desire to be able to connect and care for

others and have a sense of belonging. Autonomy is having free will. By playing online games in

the classroom, these three needs are met. Competence is met by solving the problems.

Relatedness is accomplished by working with peers to complete a goal. Autonomy is fulfilled by

making independent choices about how to meet a specific goal. Therefore, online games in the

classroom cause engagement and fun and this may influence the motivation to learn. Pawel

Tkaczyk from Zarzycka-Piskorz article ‘s says the average teenager spends about 10,000 hours

playing online games by the time they turn twelve years old. Using this information we can see

that our students will already most likely be much of their time on playing online games, why not

have them play online learning games so that way they are not wasting away their time but

rather, learning and becoming more useful and intelligent. There are even whole academic

courses just using online games. A specific example of one is the one in Krakow. Ninety-nine

percent of the students said they would want to play language games in class (Zarzycka-Piskorz).

If students are this willing to learn, even if it is not traditional, then shouldn’t we make an effort
to accommodate what our students desire. The students were so engaged and wanted to well

because they wanted to get first on the leaderboard. They don’t actually win anything, they’re

intrinsically motivated to learn with Kahoot! Because they’re genuinely having fun. Zarzycka-

Piskorz says, “The overwhelming majority of students admitted that they would like to see more

games in their classes. Implementing language games into the learning process will bring variety

break monotony, enliven classes, and motivate students to work. Rewards, points, levels are all

forms of extrinsic motivators but the whole gaming experience touches significantly the intrinsic

motivation aspects.”

“The way students play and learn today is the way they will work tomorrow” (Shapiro

para. 15). How do we want our coworkers to be? Do we want them to be able to cooperate with

others and make a difference? By teaching students through games, whether offline, online, or

simulations, they will be able to communicate and work better with others in the future while

also learning the information that they need to know now.

Works Cited

Collins, Katie. “Kahoot! Is Gamifying the Classroom”. Wired. 2015.

Morin, Amanda. “What Does ESL Mean For Students?” VeryWellFamily. 2017.

Saha, Sujay Kumar and Singh, Smriti. “Collaborative Learning through Language Games in ESL
 Classroom.” Language in India. vol. 16, no. 10, Oct 2016, p180-189.

Schwarts, Ruth. “It’s Not Whether You Win or Lose: Integrating Games Into the Classroom for

Science Learning.” Cultural Studies of Science Education. vol. 7, no. 4, Dec 2012,

p845-850.

Shapiro, Jordan. “Games In The Classroom: What the Research Says.” Mindshift. 2014.

Stathakis, Rebekah. “Five Reasons to Use Games in the Classroom.” Education World.

2013.

Zarzycka-Piskorz, Ewa. “Kahoot.it or Not? Can Games be Motivating in Learning Grammar?”

Teaching English with Technology. 2016. P17-36.