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Educational Card Game
The Educards ™ card game was created in isolation on the island of Trinidad and Tobago by teacher Richard Yearwood. Now known as ScholarCards, Educards is often played in groups with players competing against each other to score points.
Points are earned when a true fact from a topic card is repeated by a player.
The Educards concept relies on overlearning of newly presented facts which are eventually understood and retained as the game is repeated and as the teacher goes over the topic in a related lesson.
Knowledge Probe Inc. is pleased to have been chosen as the developer of the virtual edition of Educards.
The following is the description of Educards by its creator, Richard Yearwood.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTUAL CARD GAME
Educards consists of a pack of 52 cards each with a name, an illustration and summarized data on the name or topic.
The 52 cards are divided into four groups of 13 cards which are related only by border colour where one group is red, one blue, one yellow and one is green. The 52 cards are also grouped into 13 groups of 4 cards which are related and are each identified by the same number e.g. four angles, each with the number 4. Each card is 60mm wide and 82mm long. It is made of a durable type, white board which is plastic sealed.
CONCEPT
Educards is an educational game designed as a self educating, group item. It seeks to motivate the player to do over learning of newly presented facts which are eventually understood and retained as the game is repeated and as the teacher goes over the topic in another lesson. It focuses mainly at the levels of knowledge and comprehension in the cognitive domain. Participants play games aiming mainly to win, however the ladder that they must climb in order to reach that winning goal consists of a series of facts which they have to learn. The more facts learnt, the better the chance of winning.
Educards only produces winners since each player usually answers some facts along the way, ensuring that he goes a step further in his education level even though he places second, third or last in the game. This concept of education is based on the expository method. However, instead of handouts or lectures, the information is presented in an attractive form and through a game approach.
The effectiveness of this product is based on the joining of two opposing human behaviors, that is PLAY and LEARNING. When we play we do not usually learn anything and when we are learning something we then do not experience the motivating pleasure of play. Educards boasts of being the only product that truly gives you the joy of competitive play while allowing you to really learn syllabus oriented data that can be both applied to the classroom and to everyday living.
Think of the situation where as a parent you can have the privilege of sending your child to play with the assurance that meaningful learning would be achieved. Or think of the blessedness you would experience as a parent when you can spend a meaningful hour or more with your child, supervising their study while you are also learning and having fun at the same time.
EDUCARDS can give you this benefit. It can be used for :
Educards recognises that multi-intelligence is a feature of our society - thus the need for as many different approaches to teaching/learning as possible. Educards also applies Constructivism to teaching by creating a learning environment where the learner determines his own pace of learning.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Educards is definitely unique in its approach and effectiveness. The cards are attractive and keep the students’ interest just as well as the television does. The facts are laid out following proper explanation techniques where questions such as: “What is?” and “How?” are answered. The card also gives examples, advantages, it presents descriptions and ensures that a clear grasp of each topic is achievable. While an individual student can use Educards for private learning, these cards encourage group interaction which makes peer pressure forces go into action for positive rather than negative uses. The students feel so good when they achieve in the presence of their peers that they openly celebrate and show an eagerness to continue the game. They also cope well with failure as is evidenced by the fact that losers do not express a desire to quit. Educards is therefore special because it encourages full class participation and encompasses students at all levels of ability. It also motivates students to learn larger amounts of information while they enjoy themselves in the classroom.
The data on each card has been carefully researched and gathered from reputable sources, including reference books, the Internet and text books currently being used in schools. The information was collected, compared and restated in a summarized form using a language that can suitably convey the message that is being sent. This ensures that while the information is creatively formulated by the researchers of EDUGAMES LIMITED, it is confirmed by reputable and established sources.
JUSTIFICATION
Educards is a ray of hope for our troubled education system where we as teachers have to battle against so many forces in order to educate our charges. Forces, like the media, can influence students, getting them so accustomed to excitement and glamour that the classroom appears boring and ineffective towards student development. Forces like the dub and rap music have also captivated the minds of our teenaged population filling them with lyrics of violence, sex and disrespect for authority, thus causing them to dislike classroom activity and to reject or even oppose the efforts of the teachers. There are also forces like peer pressure and social evils such as poverty, crime, broken homes, drug abuse, diseases, etc. which affect the student adversely and hinder the teacher from reaching him as well. Based on the above factors, Educards would definitely have a place in the classroom because it can temporarily nullify most of these forces and allow the teacher to have a group of students who are willingly moving in his direction. Discipline problems are reduced as the students forget their distractions and focus on the game. Peer pressure becomes positive and students enjoy and identify closely with their learning experiences.
Apart from the classroom, Educards remains effective as a recreational activity at home or even at school during free periods or break times. It also makes for interesting individual reading and study and can also be used to play fun games as well that do not require intense learning.