Educational Games and Potential Developments for Learning
The educational game is that activity that has the main purpose that students manage to develop and enhance the learning of different areas without losing the playful and pleasant essence;It is also considered a teaching method that presents a structure to teach the different school content, this method is designed for students to learn through the game, since the game is attractive and pleasant for students.
The game in the educational framework constitutes one of the most essential aspects that enables infants to obtain skills and capabilities necessary for their development, which is why the different education programs seek to provide different game opportunities either providing environments that favor the gameor of those materials that favor exploration and learning in infants, therefore the different educators are in need of rethinking their way of teaching children to make the most of the enormous potential that each of them presents.
When children develop recreational activities in class, they learn social skills, for example: when children share their toys or agree so that together they use materials;Also learn to face stimulating cognitive tasks such as solving or looking for a way to build a tower with small chips when they do not have large chips;Infants learn through practice where they acquire knowledge through playful interaction with people or objects. Symbolization games (such as playing the market, to be heroes or family) turn out to be very beneficial since this type of game allows children to express their feelings, ideas, thoughts, as well as developing creativity, imagination,interpersonal relative and resolve different conflicts.
It is worth mentioning that many of the teachers consider that educational games are directed exclusively for the initial and primary level since in high school it would not have the same impact, but this is wrong since didactic games can vary in difficulties and instructions, adapting from thisform to the cognitive-social development of the student.
If a class is attractive to students, it will allow them to motivate them towards learning. Decroly (pedagogue and psychologist) mentions that classes provided to infants must be attractive, that is, through recreational activities, since in this way teachers can arouse in students the interest that is essential to favor the effective development of the effective development of thelearning.
The educational game during early childhood must be free, that is, that activity that occurs spontaneously and pleasantly, where the child decides how, what and with whom to play;establish your own rules and choose your materials without the intervention of an adult. Allows the psychological and social development of the child, as well as creativity and imagination. Children learn through the game and have the need to play freely.
Characteristics of childhood educational games
- It causes pleasure: playful activities turn out to be pleasant for children since it is an activity that awakens interest and motivation.
- It allows the initiative to be deployed: since the game is an activity carried out by the child, therefore, the participation of the educator must be indirect, that is, she must take care of providing the space and the relevant materials;The child must develop the different actions that the game entails.
- They are executed individually or in a group: the latter helps establish interpersonal relationships and develop collective learning.
- Satisfies its own desires and needs: the game is an unconscious need of the infant in which it seeks to feel safe in front of reality, in the face of anguish or fears that hinder it, it is as if the game were a real fact but it is not.
- It strengthens an environment of trust and freedom: it is important that the infant feels the freedom to choose the playful activity that he wantsChallenges.
BENEFITS OF THE EDUCATIONAL GAME IN CHILDHOOD
- It allows to improve in infants attention.
- Allows the development of social skills.
- The infant develops cooperation capacity.
- Allows you to awaken in the infant, interest in learning.
- The infant increases its concentration.
- It allows to develop in the child (a) trust and self – esteem.
- Allows the knowledge of new subjects.
- Allows the development of creativity and imagination.
- Allows emotional development.
- Favors physical development.
- Contributes to the development of motor skills.
- Allows memory stimulation.
The role of the educator
- The role of the teacher is to enable and organize the different recreational activities of learning, so it will be necessary to carry out planning either preparing the different recreational materials and relevant spaces that allow their exploration, the teacher must provide to thechildren recreational experiences since it allows enhancing and enriching learning.
- The educator must motivate infants for the execution of different recreational activities with the purpose that they can develop successfully.
- It is very important that the educator makes an active observation of how the infant is carrying out the playful activity, evidencing his action projects and the learning that he manages to develop.
- The educator must adapt to the needs and interests of children, infants have the free decision to choose the materials, as well as the type of game they want to develop.
Obstacles that do not allow the integration of the game into an educational center:
- Lack of value towards the game as a key to the learning process: many of the educational institutions consider that learning simply consists of memorism. The managers of the educational centers are not aware that the game fulfills a fundamental role that favors the understanding ofthe different areas by infants, as well as to integral formation.
- Erroneous ideas of parents or caregivers about the game: most parents considered that the game is a simple recreation activity and that it is often a loss of time, this wrong idea is due to the ignorance of the great benefits provided by thegame in the education of infants;thus causing many of the families do not demand the inclusion of the game in school environments.
- Lack of training of teachers in the face of game -based learning: many teachers are not prepared or trained to implement in their classes a game based on the game. They consider their educational materials, binographers, notebooks, etc. and not of those objects that allow children to explore and consecutively develop their learning. It is worth mentioning that many teachers want to use these recreational materials, but do not have necessary resources or training that allow them to create these game materials.
- Classes that present a large number of children: if a playful space should not present a large number of children since it makes it impossible for children to carry out their recreational and comfortable recreational activities.
Competitive games and cooperative games
- Competitive games: are those games that implies the participation of several people, but individually, each of them tests their capacities and potential for the scope of success;It allows children to develop the motivation that implies to be better every day, cooperative game also refers to knowing and recognizing others can be better, to be responsible and develop security in oneself.
Advantage
- Allows to know our own possibilities and limitations.
- Promote individual effort and overcoming.
- It promotes sportsmanship, that is, knowing how to win as well as knowing.
- Allows capabilities development.
Disadvantages
- Can generate distrust in others.
- Loss of self-confidence when you get lost.
- Can cause the exclusion of those less endowed.
- Can generate fear of failure or frustration.
Cooperative games
They are those activities, in which all participants must support each other for the scope of a certain common objective;The cooperative game provides all members for a high degree of personal satisfaction, since each of them has an important role for the development of group activity, it is also an activity that favors the teaching-learning process.
Cooperative game encourages the development of social interaction, thus allowing members to develop learning values and attitudes that include social skills.
According to Favio Botto, the cooperative game must present the following characteristics:
- Allows exploration and search for creative solutions.
- Allows the development of interpersonal relationships.
- Allows learning social skills and moral values.
- Promote communication between group members.
- Encourages inclusion and not exclusion.
- Allows the development of collective decision making.
- The group work process is valued more than the result itself.
Game and new technologies
Infants also develop and enhance their learning through game with new technologies, such as one more activity, that children can choose to develop in the classroom, however many of the parents consider that the use of technologies avoid physical activity, theoutdoor game and interpersonal relationships, but this is wrong since the various technological resources must be used with moderate time and in adequate space, responding to the interests and needs of children.
Nowadays technology in education has been massified, therefore teachers must use the use of ICTs in an adequate and responsible way to be able to enhance the teaching-learning process even more. Technology is something that captures attention in children therefore are active during the recreational activities involved in technology.
(Díez and Valle, 2004) affirm that the use of technologies during the recreational activities of learning, facilitates the development of the following skills:
Cognitive habilyties
- The infant develops creativity.
- Development of the oral expression.
- Allows children to make decisions, either individually or in a group.
- Problem solving.
- The development of texts and images.
- Selection and information search.
Social skills:
- The communication
- The cooperation
- The tolerance
- Pairs mediation
- New forms of thought.
Psychomotor skills
- Fine psychomotor skills.
- Viso Motor Coordination.
Conclusions
- The game within the educational field turns out to be a very important activity since it allows to improve the learning process in infants, which will develop the different capacities and competences that are necessary for their cognitive, social, emotional and physical development.
- The cooperative game turns out to be more essential than the competitive game, since the cooperative game allows the development of interpersonal relationships, leadership, collective learning as well as personal satisfaction since each member meets an important role for the reach of the common objective.
- The use of technologies in games, allow to enhance the development of students’ learning in different fields, as long as the teacher uses optimally, moderate and effective in the classroom.
Bibliographic references
- UNICEF. (2018). Learning through games. New York. Recovered from https: // www.UNICEF.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/UNICEF-lego-foundation-learning-a-traves-of-game.PDF
- Cortéz. AND. (2010). The game as an important factor for learning.
- Martínez. J. (2011). How to integrate new technologies in initial education? Recovered from http: // repository.MINEDU.Gob.PE/HANDLE/123456789/1804
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