Optimising Learning through Games in the Primary Classroom
'Games fit in almost every subject in today's classrooms creating unexpected or stealth learning opportunities while accommodating various student-learning styles and encouraging complex skills such as decision making.' (Laura A. Sharp).
Throughout my teaching experience I have used a number of interactive and online games for a number of reasons in the primary classroom.
They can be used initially at the start of a topic to elicit how much children know about a topic and thus inform planning.
On the other hand it can be used at the end of a topic to see just how far children have come by using it as an application of skills and knowledge that they should have absorbed throughout their learning experience.
The wonderful thing about interactive games is that there are many available already online but there are also others that can be manipulated and adjusted so that they suit your learners and your topic-based teaching.
They can also be used to promote independent or collaborative application of skills and knowledge. Collaborative interactive gaming can promote team work and also encourage good leadership skills. These are important characteristics to build in children from a young age.
Here are just some examples of gaming that can be used in the classroom:
http://www.primarygames.co.uk/pg7/ccompare.swf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/games/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/
Throughout my teaching experience I have used a number of interactive and online games for a number of reasons in the primary classroom.
They can be used initially at the start of a topic to elicit how much children know about a topic and thus inform planning.
On the other hand it can be used at the end of a topic to see just how far children have come by using it as an application of skills and knowledge that they should have absorbed throughout their learning experience.
The wonderful thing about interactive games is that there are many available already online but there are also others that can be manipulated and adjusted so that they suit your learners and your topic-based teaching.
They can also be used to promote independent or collaborative application of skills and knowledge. Collaborative interactive gaming can promote team work and also encourage good leadership skills. These are important characteristics to build in children from a young age.
Here are just some examples of gaming that can be used in the classroom:
http://www.primarygames.co.uk/pg7/ccompare.swf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/games/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/