The use of digital games in classrooms has improved the attention span and motivation levels of students with intellectual disabilities.
An independent study carried out by three educationists at the Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here on the effectiveness of digital games in the learning process of students with intellectual disabilities found that the mentally challenged learners displayed a clear affinity towards use of computers and the online media. The feedback from nearly 30 students in various special schools in Kochi was analysed as part of the research.
Digital games were clearly found to be a promising step towards teaching-learning effectiveness in the case of children with special education needs. Snakes and Ladders, and Sudoku, two digital games, were developed on the Moodle platform to collect the feedback from the students, it said.
“About 63 per cent of the participants felt that the game was immensely enjoyable. Teachers found their wards much more attentive than in regular classrooms and there was a clear acceptance of all forms of digital media for content delivery, namely audio, text and picture,” said M. Rajesh, Regional Director of IGNOU, Kochi.
The participants had no prior understanding of the digital games. The three main categories of students with intellectual disabilities who played the games included the mentally challenged, children with learning disabilities, and those having cerebral palsy.
“From various studies, including the present one, it was understood that they retained understanding of concepts provided through games much better than the ones provided through traditional textbooks. Teaching of social sciences through games, though rare, provides infinite opportunities to sustain understanding of the concepts learned,” pointed out Sindhu P. Nair, and V.T. Jalajakumari, Assistant Regional Directors at IGNOU, Kochi.
The researchers suggested that the development of special Learning Management Systems (LMS) could revolutionise teaching-learning activities for special learners, with the active participation of teachers, parents and other stakeholders. “The use of online modes embedded with interesting digital games would be an effective play-way method accessible even from homes,” they said.
