Games in the Classroom Part 2: Challenges vs. Rewards

Game play is incredibly engaging and keeps kids excited about being apart of your classroom. 

What teacher doesn't want that, right?!?

BUT....playing games isn't always perfect, and there may be potential hurdles.  

However, if you allow yourself time to think through the possible challenges--overcoming obstacles will be easy.  

Potential Challenges

• Off task behavior
• Typically during games you won't have misconduct as games have a way of captivating students' attention.  If an off task behavior does arise--proximity does wonders!  Or, re-giving clear directions and re-modeling what game play should look like is another option. 
• "lack of" educational time
• Some in education think playing games wastes valuable educational time.  However--it is quite the contrary!  Game play is a perfect time to apply taught skills and let students learn and collaborate with one another.  
• Not healthy for self esteem 
• Yes, with some games there will be winners and losers.  Competition is everywhere in life, and we must teach our students how to work through the emotions of winning and losing.  There is no better space to teach students how to deal with victory and defeat than within the safety of our classroom.  Dialoguing about winning and losing should be done prior to game play and also with some reflective time after the game.  
• Prep time
• While it does take time to prepare educational games and explain them to students, once the students know the rules they are able to play for the rest of the year!  This makes center set-up a breeze!  

Okay--now that the challenges are out of the way...lets focus on the rewarding aspects of game play.   

Rewards

• Increased engagement
• Game play allows all students to be actively engaged--there isn't any hiding when you are playing a game. Plus game play appeals to a wide variety of learning styles.  
• Reinforcement of taught skills
• Students will apply what they just learned while playing!  This is instant gratification for students because they are using skills the learned right away. They will feel like rock stars!
• Application of soft skills
• Whenever students have an opportunity to work with a partner or group of students soft skills will be applied.  Game play most notably draws out cooperation and good sportsmanship.  During game play students will learn how to play fair, celebrate a win without bragging, how to lose a game with grace and cooperate with opponents.
• Formative data collection 
• While students are having fun--it is a great time to circle the classroom and collect informative data.  It is also a great opportunity to provide positive error correction and feedback to students. 
• Differentiation
• Games are easily adaptable to all levels of learners, and many games include ways to differentiate for students.  Games can also be played in any subject or content area. 
• Positive Classroom Environment
• Games are fun, and fun classrooms are a places where kids want to be!