Why gamify our lesssons?

There may be multiple answers to this question, such as the ones provided by the expert on this topic: Graham Stanley.

Stanley proposes the following:

• Games are fun, and natural motivators,
• They capture learners’ attention,
• They encourage language production,
• They can be easily adapted to teaching,
• They can be used to practice all the language skills.

If I may, I would like to add a few more:

• They provide great sources of authentic language use
• They may (depending on the game) foster collaborative work,
• Because learners enjoy them, their learning becomes much more meaningful.

I believe playing is an essential part of learning. A lot of learning can be done through playing, irrespective of whether you are a child or an adult…

The good thing about games, and particularly online games, is that you can find them anywhere and there is a lot of variety, depending on what you want to focus on. 

The last thing I would like to add about this topic is a short interview with Marc Prensky, in which he speaks about video games. Although it is a little old (2007), the reasons and explanations he gives totally hold today.

http://marcprensky.com/videos/Marc%20Prensky%20FoxNews%2021307.wmv 

So, play on!