In a world where online learning has become the norm, we have had the opportunity to explore a lot of digital tools to improve our classrooms and make them more interactive. Another such tool that garnered interest during these times is the concept of creating digital badges for students.
Reminiscent of the stickers teachers would give us when we were younger, digital badges help teachers recognise the good work, accomplishments, or achievements of a student as an individual in the classroom. It not only motivates the student to do better but also reflects their unique skills and achievements on their resumes as they apply to study further or for jobs.
Digital badges have the potential to transform the education system in ways that make learning a fun and empowering experience. Let’s highlight some of the reasons digital badges for students can aid learning in both the classroom as well as remote learning!
How digital badges can aid learning
Goal-oriented learning
Creating Digital badges for students provide great source of motivation as well as guidance. Setting achievable goals for students encourages them to work towards them enthusiastically and leaves students feeling rewarded for their efforts. Creative ways to help students actively engage with their syllabus and lessons allow them to understand and explore their capacities.
It creates a pathway for students’ strengths to be explored and identified. It helps learners visualise their educational journey and actively rewards them for clearing ‘checkpoints’. Setting goals in learning is important as it dictates a student’s performance capabilities as well as their level of motivation.
Helping them navigate these aspects while assisting them in understanding their strengths and weaknesses is a great way to set up a student to perform better and motivate themselves to improve wherever necessary.
Incentivising learning
A large part of motivating a student is recognising, appreciating, and rewarding their efforts in the classroom which can be lost in a sizeable class. Badges provide a sure-shot way to recognize these individual efforts. Creating milestones for students not only helps them set goals but also motivates them to want to put in the effort to earn that appreciative reward.
Creating a system wherein the student feels motivated to want to study and achieve something in their learning environment by setting their own standards and encouraging them to find determination in their efforts makes this process a lot more interactive and engaging.
Celebrating achievements
A massive benefit of digital badges is in their very basic function, it’s a reward. It is important to recognise students as individual personalities and talents. An environment where every student feels heard and seen makes it a more comfortable space for the child. Highlighting individual talents helps students feel driven toward improving and taking pride in their work.
It contributes to fulfilling the core emotional need to feel valued. This also helps a teacher understand the strengths and weaknesses of the student. With the importance to recognise students’ individual efforts and giving them confidence in their educational journey, digital badges are an excellent tool to practice appreciation of efforts and talents.
Recognising individual talents
Not everyone is skilled in written tests, some students excel more in-class participation or some do well in projects. Digital badges give students recognition for their contributions in the classroom and recognise their intellect, skills, and knowledge outside of written tests. It helps recognise and appreciate students with respect to their specific learning styles.
This can improve the overall environment of a classroom where everyone’s efforts and individual participation and achievements in any form are recognised and acknowledged. It also encourages students to understand and pursue their strengths and talents. It creates a channel for recognising and encouraging soft skills while acknowledging and rewarding hard skills simultaneously.
As educators, we always look for ways to improve and personalise classrooms. With a growing population and larger class sizes, this can be a difficult task. Digital badges might be your solution for personalising learning by not only recognising and motivating students but also creating a pathway for them so they can set goals for themselves and work towards them.
Now more than ever, with online learning seeming somewhat disconnecting as opposed to a classroom, digital badges can be the solution to drive attention to individuals and how they are connecting to the content being taught in educational institutions.
