Game-based learning in the HYBRID setup

Games – whether digital or analog – are part of the lives of children, young people and many adults. They are fun and offer a wide range of activities and challenges. In order to master the games, different motor, cognitive, social or creative skills are required and encouraged from the players, depending on the respective game or game genre. Learning and playing are therefore always inextricably linked. Successful games also have one thing in common: they motivate. Players not only get involved in the game itself, they are also prepared to acquire knowledge in and for the game. Game-based learning (GBL) methods utilize the potential of games to achieve specific teaching and learning objectives and place game experiences in the context of the real world. Computer games can be a valuable resource for teaching and, thanks to the wealth of games available and possible gaming experiences, can find a place in every subject.

Although the term „game-based learning“ is still relatively new, the didactic use of games is by no means new, but dates back to Plato in ancient times. The first pedagogical description of the use of games comes from Comenius in the 16th century.

Reasons for GBL in the classroom for children

• Computer games are part of the world in which children and young people live. By using computer games in lessons, we take pupils‘ media interests seriously. While almost a quarter of first-graders already play computer games almost every day (KIM 2016), the fascination increases steadily with age. Among 12 to 19-year-olds, 62% play regularly (daily/several times a week), only ten percent never (JIM 2017). According to a forecast, the annual market turnover for computer games in Austria will amount to around EUR 180 million in 2022 (Statista 2017).
• Game worlds and game plots offer plenty of starting points for conversations.
• Children and young people are usually familiar with numerous games and easily learn how to play them themselves.

We use the play instinct of children and young people with #GBL software in terms of programming. If a level is to be solved, this must be done with the correct code. This means that the children and young people have to write real code in order to progress in the game. In this way, they gradually learn to think in programming languages and apply them. The levels become more and more difficult – a trainer is of course always available if the student needs help.

 

HYBRID courses

 

 

In the course of the current challenges with regard to CORONA, we have decided to offer ALL HYBRID courses with immediate effect. This means that all students who cannot or do not want to come to our learning studio in person are simply connected to the course live via ZOOM. Online students can see and hear the group on site, and vice versa. A large monitor shows all the students in the classroom connected to it.

What does this mean in concrete terms for the student?

Every student can participate LIVE in 2 different ways during the course times. Either on site as face-to-face lessons or he/she can be connected ONLINE. The children in the classroom see and hear the children at home and vice versa.

This is an ideal option in the event of illness, quarantine or very bad weather.

Each student has the choice of coming to the Learning Studio or attending from home.

 

About the author

Andreas Hanny, MBA founded native4kids.at in 2014 for the English language development of children, and digital4kids.at in 2017 for learning digital skills from the age of 8