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Games boost health education
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Games boost health education
Health teaching is more fun and more effective when games are included in the curriculum, according to a new textbook co-authored by School of Nursing and Midwifery Associate Professor Simon Cooper.
Games! Games! Games! Educational Games for Health Professionals outlines 70 games developed by teachers in health education to reinforce knowledge taught in university lectures and tutorials.
Dr Cooper and co-authors from the University of Plymouth in the UK, Gillian Blakely, Heather Skirton, Peter Allum and Pam Nelmes, researched educational games used around the world and purchased copyrights where necessary to ensure the most effective games were published in their book. They also included games they had each invented in their own teaching experience.
The authors point to research that shows educational games are valuable in reinforcing material learnt through reading or listening to lectures. They believe students are generally positive about the use of games and that using a variety of educational tools makes learning more engaging and therefore more effective.
“Students have different learning styles and many health care students respond to activities as part of their learning,” Dr Cooper said. “Various strategies are needed to complement didactic teaching.”
One example that Dr Cooper uses is the ‘ECG game’ where students simulate various heart rhythms to demonstrate how they change under different conditions.
The book includes nine chapters that cover anatomy and physiology; pharmacology; mental health; research; assessment; health education; management and leadership; communication; and ethical and legal issues.
It also includes a section called ‘Do it yourself’ to help teachers develop their own games.
See examples at: http://www.uppress.co.uk/games.htm
Orders can be made by emailing: orders@nbninternational.com
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