When I was in my first year of high school, I took a typing class. In this typing class, I was meant to learn how to type blindly and quickly. Even though something like typing on a computer is a pretty modern concept, this class was the direct antithesis of that. The woman who taught the class was probably the strictest and uptight person I had ever met, she would walk around in circles and would say the following: F…Rust…K…Rust (Rust meaning space). And this would go on for about an hour. It is then barely a surprise that I loathed this class, and also barely passed the final exam. Looking back at it now, for as much as I disliked it. There were some valuable things being taught, for example, she always made a big deal about our posture, something that was annoying at the time. But honestly is probably one of the most valuable lessons she could have taught. Because long-time computer use is a certified back destroyer. While in this class, I tended to wonder if this is truly what learning to type is like, or if there were better alternatives.
The alternative
Well to answer my question: this is certainly not the only way to teach typing. If you switch over to one of the kid’s channels on tv, there is a chance you might come across one of these commercials:
This is a commercial for LOI kidzz and it promises an exciting typing adventure where they get to be a super spy and learn typing along the way! (LOIkidzz). Obviously, this sounds a little bit more enticing than the type of class I had. This then leads me to the question, is this way of learning better? Does making the learning process into more of a gaming experience turn out better results. Or is it just a gimmick and is it the traditional way, I experienced, the most effective?
Quizlet and learning trough games
To try and shed light on this question I chose one of my favorite educational websites: Quizlet. Quizlet is a website in which you can create digital flashcards (called sets), that you can learn and share with others (Edwards, 2021). What makes Quizlet special, is the way in which these sets can be learned. With the traditional flashcards (a piece of paper), there is basically one way of learning them. That is with writing the term/question on one side and the definition/answer on the other and just constantly repeating the cards until you have memorized the definition/answer to the term/question.
With Quizlet, you can do this too, but you can do also much more. The most used feature is simply called ‘learn’. With this feature, the most basic function of flashcards is present, but this time, the way you answer is not by just guessing. You can answer with multiple-choice, by flipping the card or by writing down the answer. Further, the questions are asked in small sessions, so that by the end of each of those sessions you can review those couple of questions (Quizlet).
The one thing in my opinion, that Quizlet has that makes learning on it just a better experience, is that your progress gets tracked. While learning you can see on the side of the screen, how many questions you still have to go, how many you got down, and how many you still need to focus on (Quizlet). This way of presenting your progress is found everywhere on the site. The more you learn your ‘sets’ the more your progress bar fills up. Seeing yourself getting better and better at memorizing these flashcards, is quite motivating. It makes it feel like less of a chore and more of an achievement.
In a 2021 study done by researchers of the Walailak University, a group of students who at first did not pass the needed English exam and had to take the English remedial course. In this course, the goal was to acquire 500 new words in an effort to improve their English. In the first 5 weeks, the students learned without Quizlet and the last 5 weeks with the use of Quizlet. In each class there would be a vocabulary test, to test their progress. The results show there is certainly an increase in vocabulary acquisition when Quizlet was used (Waluyo & Bucol, 2021).
This result goes to show that the gamification of learning can be quite a positive improvement on the way we teach our students, especially the younger ones. As I said before, in my experience even though I was basically cramming these flashcards, the process seems less daunting and more inviting, because it has these added “game functions”.
A drawback
There is a drawback to this online gamification of learning and that is that it is not accessible for everyone. To be able to use Quizlet, you need either a computer or a smartphone, an internet connection, and if you want to use all the features available you will need a premium account, which costs money. To use the traditional flashcards, you only need a piece of paper and a pen, which are much more accessible. So this begs the question, that even though this trend of online gamification seems to positively impact the learning progress, it will certainly leave the ones without the necessary resources behind. So is leaning towards this type of teaching something that should be encouraged?
Sources
Beleef een avontuur met de Typecursus van LOI Kidzz! | LOI Kidzz. (z.d.). Loikidzz. Geraadpleegd op 17 november 2021, van https://www.loikidzz.nl/typecursussen/spionnenavontuur
Edwards, L. (2021, 23 juli). What is Quizlet and How Can I Teach With It? TechLearningMagazine. Geraadpleegd op 17 november 2021, van https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/what-is-quizlet-and-how-can-i-teach-with-it
Study with learning. (z.d.). Quizlet. Geraadpleegd op 17 november 2021, van https://help.quizlet.com/hc/nl/articles/360030986971
Study-modes. (z.d.). Quizlet. Geraadpleegd op 17 november 2021, van https://quizlet.com/en-gb/features/study-modes
Waluyo, B., & L Bucol, J. L. (2021). The Impact of Gamified Vocabulary Learning Using Quizlet on Low-Proficiency Students. CALL-EJ, 22(1), 158–179. http://callej.org/journal/22-1/Waluyo-Bucol2021.pdf
Very fun blog!
I’m studying Korean at the moment with the use of Quizlet, so it was fun to read and learn some more things about Quizlet itself and gamification of learning.
Although the fact that its ‘gamified’ certainly makes learning through Quizlet more fun, I definitely also prefer it over the traditional paper and pen method because it is so easy to just have hundreds of words in a single tiny smartphone. It is quite inconvenient that you always need internet, but in case of The Netherlands there is usually free WIFI nearby, which has made it convenient for me to learn as travel back and forth to university. It is indeed unfortunate that the offline version is premium, but I do think premium can be quite worth it if you really use it frequently.
I don’t think we need to specifically work towards making this ‘The’ type of teaching, but I think a mix of traditional and digital would be perfect. My Korean teacher actually makes us do a non-graded Quizlet quiz weekly in class, where the fastest person wins and gets a little shoutout on screen. I definitely think the amount of effort our teacher spent creating all these Quizlet lists for us has helped me learning the language a lot better, so I hope more teachers will integrate this type of teaching!
For me I definitely think gamification is great! I remember as a child using special websites for learning other languages because I did not have enough concentration to sit and learn 100+ words the old-pen-and-paper method. Making games out of learning has helped me tremendously remember things. When I am making a test and I can’t come up with the right words it helps to think back of the game, maybe a colour connected to that specific question, or something that happened while learning takes me right to the answer that I am looking for. However I can image this does not work for everyone and may seem as a hassle and unnecessary fuss to make and/or play games instead of just sitting down and getting it done quickly.
Great blog post! As someone who has been learning Dutch for 2 years, Quizlet has become so key in my language consolidation practices. Whilst I don’t rely exclusively on Quizlet, from learning vocab, grammar patterns, to fixed expressions, Quizlet continues to be a very strong language learning companion in combination with formal classes at university.
What I found extremely intriguing was the issue of accessibility. Whilst I’m not subscribed to the paid version of Quizlet, it’s access – as you’ve rightfully mentioned – is reliant on a digital device with internet connectivity and consequently generates a form of infrastructural violence where those without access are marginalised.
However, how much importance should we be giving making these gamified learning applications more accessible? It doesn’t seem likely for gamified learning to replace traditional forms of teaching in the forthcoming future but the potential of gamified learning as a tool in the future of EdTech is an interesting idea to explore.