Are Educational Video Games an Effective Classroom Tool?

Are Educational Video Games an Effective Classroom Tool? Students name Institutional affiliation The world of technology has resulted to a lot of changes in the learning environment. Among them is the tools used in the classroom to effect learning such as video games. Teachers use educational video games as effective learning tools in today's classroom because they increase students' excitement to learn, students are more engaged in the learning process, and today's world is based on 21st-century learning Video games are a fun activity to engage in and therefore, they increase the student's excitement to learn. Research shows that students perform well in subjects that involve the use of video games as compared to those that do not. The video games help in the stimulation of the student's mind hence making them alert. As a result of the attention that they pay to the game, they end up learning important details outlined in the syllabus. Different video games are designed for students in different grades because their level of getting excited vary with age. Therefore, the teachers should identify the video games that best work for their student so that they can make the class environment as lively as possible (Willis, Greenhalgh, Nadolny, Liu, Aldemir, Rogers & Oliver, 2017). This would ensure that the students are free about asking anything that the teacher has not made clear and, in turn, enhance better learning as compared to a situation whereby the students do not feel free to interact with the teacher or the fellow students. In addition, such an environment brings unity among the students and help in the reduction of chaos that would otherwise interrupt the learning process. Therefore, video games are an effective classroom tool. Besides, video games are an effective classroom tool because they make students to be more engaged in the learning process as compared to their absence. The students have to cooperate for them to be able to effectively play the game. Therefore, it is during the process of playing the game that they have to pay a lot of attention to the instructions. Such attention is in turn directed toward the learning process (Woods & Rosenberg, 2016). In addition, the engagement brought about by the video games helps in the development of the students motor skills hence enabling them to comprehend classroom concepts. As well, they also learn communication, teamwork, creativity and critical thinking skills that help in the learning process. A student who has good communication skills is able to express themselves well in the classroom hence making the teacher to identify the areas whereby they have not well understood. The teamwork skills obtained while playing the games allows the students to help one another academically during group discussion sessions. Students from the lower grades adapt to such skills, and this is reflected in their learning capabilities during the higher grades. Therefore, video games do not only teach the various skills to the students but also creates a strong basis for higher lea...