Introduction
Due to globalization and the unprecedented challenges posed by the recent Covid-19 pandemic, there is an urgent call for educational reforms and a transition towards openness in education. Openness underscores education as a fundamental human right, promoting equity in educational access and upholding democratic principles. However, progress towards openness in school education has been sluggish, with a reluctance to adopt open practices, thereby perpetuating a closed and outdated educational system.
The challenges at the practical level may be due to the difficulty of defining openness and establishing its pedagogical framework. However, openness functions as an umbrella term and implies the notion of inclusion of all learners without exception. The heterogeneity in contemporary classrooms requires the application of open practices, especially when we are called upon to teach explicit phenomena, such as grammar, to children with learning difficulties. In response to these complexities, educators have increasingly embraced gamification as a powerful tool to transform the learning landscape. This article delves into the ways in which gamification can play a pivotal role in not only addressing the unique challenges faced in teaching grammatical phenomena but also in enhancing openness in education and providing students with learning difficulties an overall better learning experience.
Open Classes: Open to What?
If we try to concretize and define the concept of openness in school education, we can interpret the open classroom as part of an educational model that recognizes the fundamental right of all students to quality education. In other words, in the open classroom, all children are treated equally and their needs are met without segregation, categorization, and exclusion (Torres, 2013).
At a practical level, in an open classroom, the particular characteristics of students, including learning difficulties, are taken into account and all voices are heard and valued. An example of open practices is the creation of individualized teaching programs to support students with special educational needs and disabilities. Finally, it could provide flexibility and freedom in terms of time and pace of learning for students, taking into account their learning profile and the fact that not everyone can learn at the same speed and in the same way (Liyoshi & Kumar, 2010). Thus, children's autonomy and participation will be enhanced, and anxiety will be reduced (Liyoshi & Kumar, 2010). In this context, gamification is an important tool in the hands of teachers and can enhance the open nature of the classroom and, more specifically, help in teaching and learning explicit phenomena, like the grammatical ones.
Personalizing Learning through Games
Games with varying difficulty levels allow students to progress at their own pace, providing a personalized learning experience, which aligns with the aforementioned open practices. According to research in educational psychology (Hattie & Donoghue, 2016), personalized learning enhances motivation and achievement, especially in grammar teaching and learning.
Gamification is beneficial for students, as various interventions, such as record-keeping, summarization, underlining, highlighting, note-taking, mnemonics, and other techniques, are highly effective in enhancing reproductive performances related to grammar. Also, self-regulation strategies, including elaboration, organization, concept mapping, and metacognitive strategies, are crucial in grammar education. Gamification can support learning by providing interactive and problem-solving elements that engage students in meaningful ways. Additionally, with its challenging nature, it can contribute to consolidating learning by offering opportunities for application and reflection. Lastly, reciprocal teaching programs and problem-solving approaches in various subjects, including grammar, are mentioned as effective methods. Gamification, through its ability to simulate diverse scenarios and encourage adaptive thinking, connects knowledge with real life, allowing students to practically implement what they have learned in actual contexts.
Immediate Feedback
Gamification provides instant feedback and positive reinforcement through rewards, badges, or points. Immediate feedback is known to be crucial for students with learning difficulties, helping them track progress and stay motivated. The enduring principle that the consequences of action have lasting effects on future performance aligns with the cognitive view of learning. Feedback is seen as a vital source of new information supporting verification of retrieval accuracy, concept development, skill refinement, and metacognitive adaptation, especially in grammar education. In gamification, immediate feedback serves to empower learners with strategically useful information, fostering self-regulation.
In gamification, learners actively engage with immediate feedback, avoiding automatic, overlearned responses and encouraging a thoughtful evaluation of their performance. Categorizing feedback into types such as right/wrong feedback, corrective feedback, and requiring repeated attempts echoes the importance of effective feedback in gamification. In gamified scenarios, immediate feedback not only confirms or disconfirms answers but also guides learners in understanding the correctness of their responses.
Multisensory Learning and Hands-On Activities
Gamified activities often involve physical interaction, catering to kinesthetic learners. This hands-on approach can be especially helpful for students with learning difficulties. This approach involves incorporating physical interaction into educational games, catering specifically to kinesthetic learners who thrive on hands-on experiences. For students facing learning challenges, the hands-on nature of gamified activities provides a multi-sensory experience that goes beyond traditional teaching methods (Yaccob et al., 2022).
Studies have shown that kinesthetic learning can enhance memory retention and understanding of complex concepts, particularly in grammar education. The interactive and dynamic nature of gamified kinesthetic activities not only captures the attention of learners but also encourages active participation. This is extremely beneficial for students with learning difficulties who might otherwise disengage from traditional teaching methods.
In practical terms, gamified kinesthetic activities could involve interactive simulations, role-playing scenarios, or physical games that require movement to convey educational concepts. These activities not only make learning enjoyable but also address the unique needs of students with learning difficulties by providing a tangible and experiential dimension to their education.
Conclusion
Gamification has emerged as a transformative approach in EFL education, particularly for students with learning difficulties. By offering personalized learning paths, immediate feedback, and a multi-sensory experience, educators can create an open, inclusive, and engaging environment. While research in this field continues to grow, the evidence suggests that gamification has the potential to disrupt conventional teaching and open up learning, making the language acquisition journey enjoyable and accessible.
References / Further references are available from the authors on request
Hattie, J., & Donoghue, G. M. (2016). Learning strategies: A synthesis and conceptual model. Science of Learning, 1(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1038/npjscilearn.2016.13
Liyoshi, T., & Kumar, M. S. V. (Eds.). (2010). Opening up education: The collective advancement of education through open technology, open content, and open knowledge. Massachusetts: MIT Press. Retrieved April 10, 2024 from https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262515016/opening-up-education/
Torres, N. P. M. (2013). Embracing openness: The challenges of OER in Latin American education. Open Praxis, 5(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.5.1.33
Yaccob, N. S., Rahman, S. F. A., Mohamad, S. N. A., Rahim, A. A. A., Rashid, K. K. A., Aldaba, A. M. A., Yunus, M. M., & Hashim, H. (2022). Gamifying ESL Classrooms through Gamified Teaching and Learning. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 8, 177-191. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call8.12
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