It was on one of the rides that we shared to the Guadalajara campus of the University of Alcalá (Spain) when we first started thinking about what we could bring to our classes of Modern Languages and Translation by doing something different and engaging for our students. We wanted it to be something that could help them develop the skills they would be required to succeed in the workplace once they graduated. Initially, we considered utilizing social media platforms to facilitate conversation between our English as a Foreign Language students and working professionals. Later, we created a comprehensive educational plan that integrated English language learning with physical movement. Finally, we progressed to designing escape games and breakout activities.
During our preparation of class challenges, we discovered a vast range of possibilities offered by the tools available to us. We decided to incorporate immediate response systems, digital storytelling activities, and other AI-based apps into our active learning methodology. These tools allowed us to expand beyond our traditional teaching methods and better engage with our students.
After conducting thorough research, we came to the realization that gamification had the potential to be utilized beyond its traditional role as a game. We were enthusiastic to share this with educators at all levels, including primary, secondary, and higher education, to provide students from a diverse range of backgrounds with an opportunity to benefit from it. At first, we incorporated it into a physical classroom setting, but when the pandemic hit, we were forced to pivot and explore the possibility of implementing it in online classes as well. This journey has been full of ups and downs, but we remain firm in our belief that we will continue to discover new, innovative teaching methods through lifelong learning.
Our comprehensive guide has been crafted to empower Modern Languages and Translation instructors with the latest game-based learning and active teaching methodologies. You won’t have to scour the internet for new techniques because everything you need is right here. Our examples may be geared towards university instruction, but they can be easily modified for primary and secondary education.
This book is structured into two main parts. The first part offers comprehensive coverage of games in Modern Languages and Translation. In essence, it comprises five detailed chapters that provide a solid foundation of basic concepts related to gamification. Each chapter is designed to offer practical examples and illustrations on how to apply these concepts in authentic pedagogical contexts.
All the contents included in the chapters aim to be an inspiration for teachers from our field to further develop research and come up with even more ideas for their classes, and for teachers from other areas that wish to adapt what we explain to the contents they include in their courses.
In each chapter, we aim to provide a theoretical background of the topics we cover combined with practical examples. At the end of most of the chapters (with the exception of Chapters 4 and 5, that only include practical examples), we have included five questions so that readers can self-evaluate the main concepts covered in them. In these cases, after the questions, we include answer key to the questions, a list of key concepts and the references that were cited in the chapter, which can provide further reading for those who want to continue their research.
We sincerely hope that our book will provide you with as much joy as we experienced while crafting it. By incorporating games and challenges into the selected courses, we aimed to make learning more enjoyable and engaging. Our goal was to deliver clear explanations of all the concepts and examples. We would love to hear your feedback and see what you create. We are excited to hear from you!