LETTERS: One of my nephews sometimes explains to me about how he develops an avatar for his Minecraft game.
Recently, his team won a silver medal at the Innovation and Invention Competition Through Exhibition (iCompEx) 2022 for their project called "Galactic Science Maze".
Games influence how the young learn. Applying games in teaching is one way to spark students' interests, especially in pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.
The gamification approach is thought to increase students' interest in the material and make it more entertaining and interesting for them to study. The types of games and the components that could be included in a game are virtually endless.
My nephew said there were some risks and challenges in building his avatar and its environment, with mystery as a possible component.
I might not understand exactly what he is trying to convey, but I see that it is a learning process and he is enjoying every part of it.
Regardless of its benefits, gamification in teaching and learning has its challenges and opportunities, especially for educators.
The fundamental issue is that teachers have not been exposed to or trained in STEM gamification. The games are also not optimised to satisfy the learning standard.
Therefore, to guarantee that teachers can implement gamification in education, the Education Ministry and school administrators should offer more training and coaching.
Teachers might be unable to incorporate games into their lessons due to their excessive workloads, such as providing student reports and evaluations, kedping the school clean and even managing the school cafeteria.
The ministry should outline the duties of teachers to address these problems so they can concentrate on developing a curriculum that includes gamification.
Moreover, some teachers and parents might be ignorant of gamification applications in education. They might have a negative opinion of games since they perceive them to be ineffective in boosting learning outcomes.
Nonetheless, a lot of parents support the use of gamification tools and advocate their inclusion in the classroom.
More importantly, while gamification can be fun, entertaining and advantageous, it does have its concerns. The benefits of mobile apps and educational websites must be explained to the younger generation.
However, students need to be aware that not everything is about the game. Students also need to be encouraged to socialise with their relatives and neighbours.
Gamified learning promotes the development of students' critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and communication skills. These benefits should be applied in real life by interacting with other people.
The younger generation will play a key role in determining the future thanks to their tech and global expertise.
As American satirist and journalist P. J. O'Rourke ponders: "Will Generation X and millennials do a better job running the world than the boomers have? Let's hope so."
AHMAD FAIZUDDIN
School of Education and Modern Languages, Universiti Utara Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times