Εφαρμογή του Gamification στην Ειδική Αγωγή: Αξιοποίηση δημοφιλών επιτραπέζιων παιχνιδιών.

Abstract

Nowadays, children have incorporated new technologies into their everyday lives following the standards of a visualized culture. To meet these new emerging needs, education utilizes techniques, such as Gamification, to create a modern, interactive, experiential and attractive ways of learning. These educational strategies are based on the learner-centered model of teaching, which transforms the teaching environment without substituting learning (Lee & Hammer, 2011). This paper focuses on ways to integrate elements of Gamification into Secondary Special Education. Specifically, it presents the modification of well-known board games to address the individualized learning needs of children with special needs. These educational games have been implemented either individually or in small groups. Following the recent educational trends, where play is used as an effective teaching tool, we modified the structures of familiar board games to achieve specific educational goals. In addition, further game modifications will be proposed as ways to personalize and differentiate teaching. The purpose of this paper is to show how learning has the potential to become a pleasant experience for all students, as well as to highlight the importance and practical applications of Gamification in Special Education.