developing motivational games to play
playing a group game while reviewing material covered.
I find that my students learn alot more while having fun at the same time.
I too find playing games to be motivational. It allows the student to step out of the zone of a lecture and be able to use their new knowledge in a game.
I have tried a version of Jeopardy and also a version of Family Fued but generated towards the material that they are learning.
I find that these games puts them at ease and lets them have fun with the material while continuing to learn. I try to do these games before big test because it allows them to study in a creative way.
Hi Ramon,
Good to hear your results with the games. I use Jeopardy a lot in my class and my students really get involved in it. They like the competition aspect while reviewing for quizzes.
Gary
I have found that games our a great way to help the students learn and cover material that may be a little boring to listen too. They all participate and respond well to the trivia games we play and its a good way for them to see what material they need to go over.
I find that playing games such as jeopardy in the classroom or clinical setting prior to an examination is rather helpful to the students. It is a fun way to get the students in volved in a learning process that is fun and something out of the ordinary review sessions. Students become more excited about learning and tend to stay focused on the information that is being presented. I have found that students enjoy playing games to prepare for quizzes or exams.
I also think that learning games can help motivate students... the competetion makes them strive to recall the information the have learned & it's a good way to review the material in an interesting & motivating situation.
Hi Melissa,
I like to use games as well. My students are like yours in that they like the competition as well as the learning that occurs when we play games for review. Good learning tool, keep using it.
Gary
If you add a little competition on material that you review it really gets the students excited to study hard so thye can win the game.
I find that utilizing games for subjects that are not as interesting, and the subjects that are more difficult to retain or relate too is helpful to get the interaction of the students and allows for some healthy competing and learning combination.
Hi Patricia,
I have found the same thing. Students will learn a lot of "dry" information if they get to use it in a competitive setting. So keep using those games to get them involved, your students will really appreciate it.
Gary
I teach both in an academic institution, and as a hospital based critical care educator. Much of the information presented is complex, and let's face it, can at times be dry. I find using different activities that engage different learning styles and both right and left brain keeps them awake (yay!) interested, and also can allow them the opportunity to demonstrate application of concepts in such a way that an assessment can be made whether the material was adequately understood. Jeopardy is definately a favorite, as well as case presentations that allow them to do several things: identify resources, suss out pertinent information specific to the problem at hand, organize their findings, and present these findings and recomendations to a group of their peers - all of which are required skills on our critical care units.
Hi Erin,
Great strategies. You are sharing complex content in a way that engages students. This is what teaching is all about. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I want to do better at this. The courses I teach are very dry and developing this would allow the students to comprehend and practice what they havae learned in a fun way.
I do agree with you. Adults as with anyone all learn in different ways. I find that developing some type of game to help them understand and keep that knowledge does work. I like to put them into groups and ask questions, something like Jepordy. The first group to answer a number of questions correct wins.
Teaching a foundations class, we've spent a lot of time working with subjects and verbs and putting together sentences. I found that my students did very well in discussions and practice reviews but then would falter at test time.
I was searching for a way to get them actively involved in review while adding a little "pressure" to prepare them for the test.
I only have three students, and found Jeopardy has had the most success. It gets the students accustomed to leaving their notes behind, and gets them more confident when they answer.
I've changed the rules a bit, because a "buzz in" system would mean that the most confident student always wins. Instead. One student starts the game and picks any category they want. If they get the question correct, it is the next person's turn to pick any category they wish. If they answer incorrectly, the next person has the opportunity to answer the same question for half of the points, and so on. Then the game resumes with the player taking a turn in their normal rotation.
This also makes it so one student won't clear out an entire row, because all of the students have different strengths.
This would work in a larger setting, but it is much more manageable with only a few students.
Since we've been playing, I've noticed that students never miss a review day and exam scores have increase dramatically.
I'm open to any other games like these that could be utilized in a grammar setting, if anyone has ideas.
Hi Cassandra,
Thank you for sharing your success with the Jeopardy game. It is one of my students favorites as well. Your point about the increased test scores should be enough for any instructor to want to give it a try.
I also like how you have modified the rules to spread out the contributions that all students can make to the game. This I know really helps to build their confidence as well as their command of the course content.
Gary
Playing games appears to motivate the students learning. I have a review game the day before the test and it appears to test the students knowledge on what they know and what they need to study.
