Discover the power of Game Based Learning and Gamification in Education

Did you know that play is considered a crucial component of cognitive development from birth through adulthood? Think about your favorite games: isn’t it true that you never get tired playing them? Being it hide and seek, puzzles, construction games, board games, there are invisible threads linking our memories, experiences and feelings in connection to playing games and they are all linked to the intrinsic motivation and engagement they trigger in our mind! 

The new edition of the course “Discover the power of Game Based Learning and Gamification in education​” took place in Palermo from 22/02/2026 to 28/02/2026. The participants came from all across Europe: with Aistè, Arûnas and Loreta from Bite AEC in Lithuania, Harald and Sophia from Mathilde-Weber-Schule in Germany, Alex from Stichting Regionaal Opleidingen Centrum Aventus in the Netherlands, Airiin from Audentes School in Estonia and Ane from EPA Paulo Freire, CEPA Paulo Freire HHI in Spain.

Our course was mainly structured into different levels; during the first level which served as an introductory stage, we discussed the pedagogical value of playing and how games stimulate learning. We reflected and acknowledged that teachers are most of the time “digital immigrants” in an educational cosmos that is nowadays populated by digital natives only. Through a challenge on the differences between gamification and game-based learning, our “players” could better clarify that gamification applies game elements into a non-game environment while game-based learning is a teaching approach whereby learning happens through playing the game itself.

As the main outcome of the second level, “players” defined the most common gamification framework as the process through which 8 major internal and external motivators influence human engagement. During one of the practical activities, players engaged in a role-play where they acted like the most common types of video games players, reaching a hands-on understanding of game-driven motivation.

In the penultimate level, “players” lived the most active and engaging experience. We went outside to enjoy a scavenger hunt game in the city center and later we were locked in a digital escape room trying to solve riddles and puzzles to escape. Participants finally tried to find the best way to gamify their own classrooms taking into account their students’ needs and charcateristics.The third level was dedicated to game-based tools and apps. We listed and actively explored several traditional games and we reframed them all together into more engaging learning tools. After all the challenges and battles, “players” had an opportunity to create their own tools both offline and online. 

Their training week was constructed like a game, following a sequence of levels from the very beginning. As if we were starting to play a video game, we asked participants to create their own characters to join the game. Avatars, symbolic characters and new superheroes were thus used as a basis to get to know each other, including strengths and passions. It became even more noticeable how rich and diverse our group was, perfectly reflecting the reality of every class at school.

Having overcome all the levels of our game, Participants had the opportunity to discover innovative ways of using traditional games to support, enhance and transform the learning process. They also got acquainted with modern online tools able to produce a significant improvement of students’ engagement and bring a spark in the classroom!

Discover more about this course here.