Games and studies should never be mixed 

The famous notion that we all have been fed with in our growing years was busted in the recent years, with the introduction of games, video or any other, into classrooms. Introduction of gaming into education has been found to make the learning process easier. Also, incorporating elements of gamification learning into instructional tools seems to have more of benefits than disadvantages.

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What other benefits does gamification offer? Let’s see:

Positive attitude towards learning

There are many subjects that students are usually not fond of. Mathematics tops the list for its repetitive formulae and problems. Some students who have a liking for the subject will easily get through while the others will have to struggle their way throughout their student years. However, gamification in learning makes things better for the students. Games help to improve students’ interest towards the subjects they find boring and soon, they’ll see themselves being motivated and positively inclined towards the subjects.

Improved Attention Span

Remember how hard it used to be for us to concentrate through 30-45 minutes of long boring lectures? Well, gamification learning puts an end to the boredom while enhancing students’ attention span. It also helps the students to stay confident and be independent. When teachers show courage to let their students learn things on their own, it helps to build a strong student-teacher relationship.

Reduced Disruptive Behaviour

Not all kids are the same. There may be a bunch of smart students in the classroom; but then, there may be another bunch who may be struggling with learning disorders or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Usually, such students are mistaken for deliberately creating havoc in the classroom and therefore, are ignored or punished. Studies reveal that including games into learning helps lessen disruptive behaviours in students and provides a better learning environment for ADHD children. There are games designed particularly for such students that help them to control their breathing and heart rate and thereby, help them behave better in classrooms.

Improved Student Thought Process 

Including games in studies helps the students to have a better understanding of what they learn. Apart from that, game-centric learning also helps to sharpen their skills. When teachers introduce game based lessons in classrooms, it contributes to the growth and development of students in a mature and healthy way.  Students learn to make decisions, apply logic and utilize their survival skills, and to come up with innovative ideas. All these will contribute to the development of students as individuals besides academics.

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Better Communication Skills

The visual and audio elements of games stay longer in the students’ minds than the content of textbooks. Therefore, introduction of games in learning right from preschool years enhances the students’ ability to communicate and socialize. It also gives the students an opportunity to learn new languages.

Burning the midnight oil, exam time is that period in the life of a student which creates a lot of stress, struggling with printed subject material. Not anymore! With technology impacting every sphere of human life, electronic gadgets have become a part and parcel of students’ life in their pursuit of knowledge. Helping you prepare for exams, it seems that your future is actually in your hands in the form of education-friendly devices. These tools can not only help you crack competitive exams but also help you successfully complete your course effortlessly.

Bringing in a modern, student-friendly alternative for better scores in exams, it is through the use of smart school software that you can easily master various subjects. Convenience is the keyword. Not demanding you to set aside particular hours to study hours in class, you can now revise for your exams even while on the go. This way, you will be making the most of the mobile learning technology to not only simplify your learning process but also to be better prepared for every exam that you aim to crack.
Doing away with the conventional bookish revisions which at times came with boredom and strain,

Here are the innovative ways in which your smartphone can become your best tutor and friend for life.

1. Informative Videos 

The World Wide Web is full of educational videos that can be streamed via popular sites like YouTube and Vimeo – a professional video platform which offers ad-free videos for the student fraternity. Seen as interfaces between educators and students, it is through these sites that you can dig into the details of a particular subject. Allowing you to assimilate the nuances behind a concept that is well explained through graphs and charts, these videos create an indelible imprint on your mind.

A picture is worth a thousand words! In line with this maxim, mobile phones through instructional videos help you drift away from the conventional classroom style of learning. Not requiring your physical presence in a classroom to gain knowledge, you can simply log on to these video sites and learn the various concepts that are streamed; anytime and at any place.

2. Audio Playbacks 

Another convenient feature of using mobiles for an exam preparation is the benefit of listening to the topic of discussion. Plenty of audio options are now available in the form of podcasts, online lectures and eBooks. Listening to an educational audio clip can be exciting and informative at the same time. Allowing you to juggle with various activities, you can effortlessly lend an ear to the session while your hands can be busy with different chores. It is this facility of multitasking that will make audio playbacks an innovative means to prepare for an exam.

3. Mobile Applications for Exam Preparation 

An important part of your exam preparation is to assess your recapitulating skills after a particular topic is completed. Allowing you to summarize the contents of a topic, you can make use of certain mobile applications that offer mock tests. Loaded with practice papers, it is through these tests that you can make progress in your studies when you come face to face with the results. Your results indicate not only your strong points but also the topics which demand more of your attention. Categorized according to the level of difficulty, these sample papers offered by certain exam preparation apps can be helpful in clearing school entrance and certification exams.

Pocket Prep is one such mobile application that help you clear exams with customized examinations and conceptual explanations of topics. You can also track your progress through charts and scores.

4. Preparing Notes Through Mobile Applications 

If you are a student who believes in the benefits of jotting down points and notes, then you can make the most of note-taking applications that can be installed on your smartphones. Offering you utmost help, you can simply do away with the ordeal of writing down notes using paper and pen. A simple tap on your phone is all that needed to unveil the wealth of knowledge, wherever and whenever you feel like preparing for your exam.

5. eBooks – The Student-Friendly Study Guides 

Your mobile is undoubtedly your treasure trove of knowledge. Just a click away, you can access voluminous information that can be gathered through eBooks. Fitting into your pocket, smartphones through eReaders, eReader applications and eBooks help you prepare for an exam. Allowing you to delve deep into ambiguous concepts through the internet, it is through these electronic books that you can save a great deal of time and effort to collect resourceful information. In view of all these benefits, it will not be an exaggeration to quote that your smartphone can become an affordable instrument of learning for life.

6. Multiple Applications to Clear Competitive Exams

Competitive exams thrust a great deal of importance on assessing your general knowledge. Testing your IQ, it is through the use of online educational sites via your mobile that you can prepare for competitive exams with general knowledge and math as subjects.

Math Tricks App has all the tricks and simplified versions of solving mathematical problems posed in competitive exams. Simply download this app from Google Play Store and you can effortlessly have the entire question bank of multiple choice questions that can be solved. Speed tests, bookmarks and result checks are the additional tools that will help you measure your progress.

GK for SSC IBPS and IAS Exams is another application that is available for Android users which has questions on current affairs along with online study material that will be useful to clear GATE, UPSC, LIC and other state level government examinations.

Aptitude tests are one of the ways in which aspirants are screened through competitive exams. Aptitude Test and Preparation helps you ace in exams through 7 options which are categorized under Solved Problems, Formulae, Practice Section, Online Tests, Daily Tests along with Tricks and Tips. The conclusion of a test is demonstrated in the form of a pie diagram with your performance details.

7. Mobile Presentations and Seminars 

Many a times, your curriculum will demand the completion of project seminars and presentations as your internal assessment. This is when the Android platform of your smartphone becomes a perfect bet. Tagged as a modern-day instrument for students, Android mobiles can be used to store all the information of a presentation which also allows you to make changes before you submit your project to your evaluator. Allowing you to effortlessly demonstrate your hard work, your smartphone when connected to a projector will work wonders in getting you a top score in your internal assessment.

With so many options now open for students, mobile technology not only simplifies the effort to assimilate information from various online sources but also allows you to crack an exam in the very first attempt.

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”Joseph Addison

Knowledge and wisdom can never survive without reading. The more you know, the more you grow. Are schools contributing their best for our children?

Early Years Foundation Stage helps to build a better foundation in pre-schoolers by encouraging activities. But that’s not enough. They should be encouraged to read as well. Reading formulates character. Motivating students to do better is more or less the responsibility of teachers.

Check Out 10 Simple Steps that can Motivate Your Students to Read

1.Let Them See You Read

Think before you speak. Read before you think

Being an example is the best way to motivate. As a teacher, if you want your students to read, let them learn it from you. Introduce to your students the world of reading. Talk about the books you read and how fascinating reading can really be.

2.Give Them Time To Read, Then Discuss

There's so much more to a book than just the reading

Always make sure that children read the books before you discuss about it in class. Don’t be in a hurry burry. Sometimes when you talk about the plot, twists and settings of a book, it can ruin the fun of children. Let them read and arrive at their own conclusions.

3.Meet the Author

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn

Invite the favourite author of students to classroom. Let them get a pleasant surprise.  Learning more about the books from the author himself can motivate them to read more. Face to face interaction enables interest in students.

4.Teach Them How To Read

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint

Don’t leave them alone with the book: it can be tiring and monotonous. Teach students reading strategies works better. There are online websites out there that can help you with this. From selecting the book to evaluating, you can help them. In fact, teach them to think, to read between the lines and not to blindly trust books.

5.Book Clubs

He that loves reading has everything within his reach

Setting up book clubs can make the magic happen. It can encourage children to socialise as well as learn about books. Interaction makes reading much more enjoyable. Make sure not to force children to participate in the group. Fascinating activities and games can be arranged in the club to make it interesting

6.Read With Taste

No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting

Let children read to their taste. Don’t force books on children. Help them find the books of their interest. Introduce them to different themes. Boost their reading ability. But let them select their favourite from the lot.

7.Up-To-Date

Books are a uniquely portable magic

Books can be partners for life but remember that technology has also contributed to reading habits.  E-book is a modern day tool that helps students to read well. Children will love to share interesting e-books with their classmates with ease. Upgrade your book worm students to smart readers.

8.Book Series

Once you learn to read, you will be forever free

Introducing children to a book series can be interesting. There are series of novels available with themes ranging from adventures to fantasy. Your only task is to find out the types of books your students love and then introduce the first series to them. They will definitely finish off all the series in no time. Book series results in hunger for reading more.

9.Freedom Of Expression

Critics are our friends, they show us our faults

Allow children to criticize books they have finished. Their experience while reading the book can be positive or negative, that doesn’t matter as long as they are encouraged to speak their minds. The liberty to hate something gives courage to follow the good.

10.Explain About The Goodness Of Reading

We read to know we're not alone

The influences of teachers are immense on students. Explain to children the importance of reading. Sometimes introducing them to the facts can encourage them. Let them make reading as a habit or hobby. Knowledge is the new trend.

Read and grow

Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best

Attract your children towards the vast ocean of books with these simple steps. No one can take away the power of knowledge from your children. There are a lot of advantages with reading.

Advantages of reading

  • Mental stimulation
  • Reduction of stress
  • Knowledge
  • Expansion of vocabulary
  • Improvement of memory
  • Stronger analytical thinking  ability
  • Improvement in focus and concentration
  • Better writing skill
  • Entertainment with a purpose
  • Upgrade conversation quality

Why do children love games? Obviously, the fun factors of games attract them towards it. They might forget the lessons taught to them but not the games and it rules.

Why not merge both games and lessons?

There are a lot of advantages that comes with playful learning. It improves memory and stimulates growth of cerebral cortex with play.

Check Out the Awesome Benefits of Playful Learning

  1. Improve imagination: Playful learning builds better imagination in children. While playing, children tend to remember different aspects of the game which helps them to accelerate memory growth. Students must be encouraged to work in teams, where only their knowledge can take them to the goal.
  1. Emotional benefits: Children often find it tiring to learn passively. With playful learning they can have fun and enjoyment. The burden of tough syllabus reduces. Mastering new concepts helps to gain abstract thinking as well.
  1. Better attention from students: Compared to passive learning, playful learning engages children to a positive atmosphere.  Learning is no more a burden. With better knowledge comes improved self-confidence.
  1. Strategic thinking and effective problem-solving: Time and tide waits for no man.  Quick problem solving should be installed in children from a very early stage. Playful learning makes it possible for children to think outside the box.
  1. Better coordination: Playing games with classmates is indeed fun. Children get to know each other. It’s stress-relieving and assures better friendship. Not only do you get a better tuning with your friends but also playing develops hand-eye coordination as well.
  1. Beneficial for children with attention deficit disorders: Not all children are same. Not only the behavioural pattern but the mind-set varies from child to child. Some children require less attention to grasp lessons while some other gets easily distracted. Playful learning is most benefited to these children. They will love to learn.
  1. Skills building:  Playful learning helps in building children’s skills in different areas.  They are prepared for better management of time and other resources. Learning to cope with different types of situations is another benefit of playing games. With games, it’s easy to discover the hidden skills of children. They become more active and self-confident. Playful learning encourage children to experiment and take risks

Playing Is Not Wasting Time:

Marion Diamond and her colleagues in the year 1964 published an exciting paper on the growth of brain in rats. The neuroscientists conducted a landmark experiment, placing some rats in boring, solitary confinement and others in enthusiastic toy filled colonies. The results were exciting.

After examining both sets of rats from different environment, researchers found out that “enriched” rats had thicker cerebral cortices, bigger brains and they were smarter while the “impoverished” rats just had the opposite.

Due to ethical considerations we don’t perform similar experiments on kids. But evidence from the experiment on rats shows increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in their brains, which is essential for the growth and maintenance of brain cells.

Let’s explore some of the misconceptions about playful learning

  • Physical education and playful learning: It cannot be denied that physical education is effective for children. Researchers believe that physical education is planned and structured by adults. There is lack of freedom during physical education period.  You cannot compensate physical education to playful learning
  • Giving breaks between classes: According to a small study conducted short breaks for 10 or 20minutes enhances classroom attention but more than 30 minutes had the opposite effects.

As you can see there are whole host of reasons to adopt playful learning. Let our children grow better. We must create the best environment where they can learn and grow stress-free.