Educational Games:
Let’s Play to Learn
Michelle Montpas, RN, MSN, EdD
Mott Community College
Division of Health Sciences
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Objectives
 At the end of this session, the participant will:
 Identify strengths & weaknesses for games.
 Identify various games for classroom use.
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Misconception
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Theme
Education is not the
filling of a pail, but
the lighting of a fire.
William Butler Yeats
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Traditional Education
 Traditional students
 Teacher as expert
 Main methodology - lecture
 Repeat learned material
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Important Changes
 Students
 Knowledge
 Time
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Quote
To awaken interest and kindle
enthusiasm is the sure way to teach
easily and effectively.
Edwards
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Tyron
Active Learning
 More than listening
 Develops skills
 Higher thinking
 Bonwell & Eison, 1991
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Educational Gaming
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Gaming
 An instructional method requiring the
learner to participate in a competitive
activity with preset rules
(Fitzgerald, 1997)
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Advantages of Games
 Fun
 Active
 Cooperative
 Competitive
 Adjustable
 Versatile
 Cognitive & affective learning
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Disadvantages for Gaming
 Time
 Space
 Group size
 Participation
 Threatening to some
 “Out of Control”
 Difficult evaluation
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Top 3 Reasons Teachers Don’t Use
Gaming
 Too much trouble
 Not enough time
 Don’t know how
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Types of Games
 Word
 Puzzles
 Board
 Role play
 Computer
 Simulations
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Classroom Game Examples
 Bingo
 Pyramid
 Jeopardy
 Pictionary
 Family Feud
 Crosswords
 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
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Crossword Example
1
A
B
D
2
3
4
F
L
D O R S
E X
I
F
I
L
P
U
R
C
O N
T
N
I
E X
I
O N
N
Across
3. Movement decreasing angle
between two adjoining bones
4. Bending of toes and foot
upward
Down
1. Movement of extremity away
from the midline
2. Face down position
Created with EclipseCrossword — www.eclipsecrossword.com
http://www.greeneclipsesoftware.com/eclipsecrossword/index.html
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Pyramid
 Teams of 2
 Give or receive
 Timed
 Winner’s Circle
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Pyramid
 Parts of a car
 Medical TV shows
 Components of a recipe
 Things Fonzie would say
 Administrators at Mott College
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Pyramid
 Parts of speech
 TV game shows
 Computer programs in Microsoft Office
 Things Barney the Dinosaur would say
 Buildings on Mott College’s main campus
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Family Feud
 Two teams compete
 Match survey
 Fast money round
Source: http://www.familyfeud.tv/index.html
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States that Begin with “A”
1. Alaska
2. Alabama
3. Arkansas
4. Arizona
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Tools a Plumber Would Use
1. Plunger
2. Pipe wrench
3. Snake
4. Torch
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Match Game
 2 players
 Celebrity panel
 Most matches – win
 Final round – 1:1
Source: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/matchgame/gifs_a-m.html
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Match Game
 Administrative _____________
 _____________ equation
 After the nurse found the patient’s
suppository in his ear, she wondered
where his ___________ was.
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Match Game
 Christmas _____________
 _____________ tax
 Professor Johnson said, “You’ll never
believe my student’s latest excuse for
not bringing his homework. He said
his _______________ ate it.”
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Jeopardy
 Created by Merv Griffin – 1964
 Televised
(Source: http://www.jeopardy.com/)
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Advantages for Jeopardy
 Familiar rules
 Easily modified
 Usable for many topics
 Facilitates all domains of learning
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Variations
 Chalkboard, overhead, poster, or computer
 Teams rather than individuals
 Everyone must answer
 Students write questions
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Recommendations for Gaming
 Consider
 Objectives
 Time frame
 Rules
 Rehearse
 Environment
 Revise
 Participants
 Debrief
 Content
 Equipment
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 Prizes
Summary/Conclusion
 Incorporate gaming into classroom
 Consider objectives & learners
 Know advantages & disadvantages
 Use, research, & revise methods
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 Thank you for your participation.
 Any questions?
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