T3 Podcast | Yavuz Samur – Gamification in Education: A New Perspective

In this article, we examine the talk titled “Gamification in Education: A New Perspective” by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yavuz Samur, a faculty member of Bahçeşehir University, on the T3 Podcast, exploring the growing importance of games and gamification in education.

The Power of Gamification in Education

Yavuz Samur emphasizes that games and gamification play a critical role at all levels of education. He notes that it is not enough to simply make schools physically “game-friendly”; teachers must also gamify their lessons. He states that research shows children who learn through games achieve at least the same level of success as those taught by traditional methods. He recommends integrating not only digital games but also physical games such as treasure hunts and escape games into the educational process.

Transitioning from Technology Consumption to Production

Samur identifies one of the biggest challenges today as children passively consuming technology. To overcome this, he introduces the concept of “consumption for production”. According to this idea, learning to play guitar by watching a video or building a model airplane is not merely consumption but an activity oriented toward production. This approach aims to transform children from passive consumers of games into producers who create new things using technology.

The Role of Parents and Balance

Samur stresses that parents’ approach is crucial in addressing children’s technology dependency. He recommends families adopt habits such as “screen-free hours” and “screen-free meals”. He highlights that parents should guide their children toward alternative interests such as art and sports to prevent them from spending their free time exclusively on technology. He notes that activities like playing board games as a family strengthen family communication and provide an enjoyable alternative.

Continuous Professional Development of Teachers and New Approaches

Yavuz Samur emphasizes that in the rapidly evolving information age, teachers must continuously develop themselves. He warns that a teacher who has not experienced artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT will be at a disadvantage. In student education, he argues for adopting a process-oriented approach rather than a results-oriented one, and for viewing failure as a learning opportunity. He also draws attention to gender-based differences in learning, stating that personalizing educational materials and methods according to these differences enhances success.