Gamification in Education
WHAT IS GAMIFICATION?
Simply put, the definition of gamification is the use of game-design elements and game principals in non-game contexts. For example, in-game principals and themes such as acquiring virtual ‘points’ or other currency, and completing series of tasks or activities to advance to the next level, may be used in contexts other than gaming to provide fun and stimulation for the learner.
Gamification can also be defined as a set of activities and processes to solve problems by using the characteristics of game elements.
Whilst typical game elements are by no means new, they have indeed become increasingly common in non-game contexts such as websites, digital marketing, enterprise applications and even virtual to-do lists and productivity tools.
One huge area where gamification is highly prevalent, however, is in education.
BENEFITS OF GAMIFICATION IN THE CLASSROOM
There are many proven benefits to using gamification in the classroom, such as:
Students feel like they have ownership over their learning
A more relaxed atmosphere in regards to failure, since learners can simply try again
More fun in the classroom
Learning becomes visible through progress indicators
Students may uncover an intrinsic motivation for learning
Students can explore different identities through different avatars or characters
Students often are more comfortable in gaming environments, so are more proactive and open to making mistakes
Higher engagement and concentration levels amongst students
The opportunity to think outside of the box. Tasks are no longer just about filling in a worksheet – what are the wider, ‘gamified’
The Interview of Turkish Students about Effectiveness of Gamification in Classroom
The Interview of Belgian Students about Effectiveness of Gamification in Classroom
SOME VIDEOS REFERS TO GAMIFICATION
The Gamification in 21st Century Schools Presentation by GameHubThinking Ambassador & Gamfed Voluteer Bahar GÜNER
14 GAMIFICATION EXAMPLES IN THE CLASSROOM
1. Giving points for meeting academic objectives
Do students need to be citing details from the text and evidence for conclusions in class discussions? Answers without evidence are now worth 1 point, a correct answer with 1 piece of evidence is worth 2 points, a correct answer + 2 pieces of evidence = 3 points.
2. Giving points for meeting procedural/non-academic objectives
Need to solve a classroom issue such as shortening the time it takes to check homework? All students who have their homework out ready to be checked before being prompted by the teacher now receive 2 points.
3. Creating playful barriers
These sorts of barriers can be academic or behavioral, social or private, creative, or logistical. The point is, one of the primary tenets of gamification is the use of encouragement mechanics through the application of playful barriers–challenges, for example.
4. Creating competition within the classroom
Teacher vs. Class: Students must follow a rule that the teacher sets. Anytime a student follows the rule, the Class gets a point. Anytime a student does not follow a rule, the teacher gets a point. This is particularly great for introducing procedures and behavioral expectations. If the Class wins, use a sustainable reward, such as a 1-minute dance party, extended recess time, or fewer homework problems.
5. Comparing and reflecting on performance in nuanced ways personalized for each student
At the end of some video game levels, the player’s performance is broken down into countless details offering enormous data, achievements, and ways to reflect and document their performance and compare with others.
For example, one game might offer statistics of which objectives were met and how, assigned a ‘badge’ based on that particular performance ‘style,’ then track every minute detail around that performance you can imagine: total number of jumps, number of enemies alerted, number of different ways a specific problem was solved, etc.
6. Creating a range of unique rewards desirable for a range of unique students
In my class, students get sunglasses to wear until the period is over at 5 points, the privilege to take off their shoes at 10 points, a positive text to their parents at 15, and if the high score is over 15, whoever has it may ‘steal’ the teacher’s chair.
7. Using levels, checkpoints, and other methods of ‘progression’
Track points over multiple classes, when students reach an important milestone such as 100 points let them level up, as they progress further give out sustainable milestone rewards, such as eating lunch with the teacher or a free dress pass (if your school wears uniforms).
Competitive students will race to have the highest level in their class and grade which can be leveraged by creating quests that require them to recruit lower-level students in quests that require both to practice target skills.
Other Examples Of Gamification In The Classroom
8. Grading backward—start grading at 0 instead of 100. Every assignment, demonstrated mastery of skill, or desired behavior earns points for them towards 100/letter grade/certificate, or whatever reward you’d like to provide.
9. Creating challenges with more than one way to be solved and emphasize the different approaches.
10. Giving learning badges instead of (or in addition to) points or grades.
11. Letting students set their own goals, then track their own progress in a fun/visual/social/personal way.
12. Helping students assume specific perspectives in learning–as a judge, designer, father, etc. This element of fantasy role-play is a big draw of video games.
13. Incentivizing student ‘exploration’ of content by offering bonuses, ‘easter eggs,’ and other benefits of achieving supplementary goals beyond the main lesson objective itself.
14. Create problems or challenges with more than one way to solve
Bonus: Using a scoreboard seating chart
Draw or project a seating chart onto a whiteboard/screen, and then award students points for all activities that you want to incentivize with sustainable rewards/recognitions at different point levels.
ONLINE COURSES ABOUT GAMIFICATION
European School Net Academy :Games in Schools Course
www.europeanschoolnetacademy.eu/courses/course-v1:GiS+GamesCourse+2019/about
Coursera Gamification Course
https://www.coursera.org/learn/gamification
Leading Change: Go Beyond Gamification with Gameful Learning
www.edx.org/course/leading-change-go-beyond-gamification-with-gameful
MineCraft in Education on Microsoft
https://education.microsoft.com/cs-cz/learningPath/3eede2ae
References & Further Reading
McGonigal, J. (2011). Gaming can make a better world. | TED Talk | TED.com [Video file]. Retrieved from: ted.com/
Schaaf, R., & Mohan, N. (2014). Making school a game worth playing: Digital games in the classroom. SAGE Publications.
Schell, J. (n.d.) When games invade real life. | TED Talk | TED.com [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/jesse_schell_when_games_invade_real_life
Zicherman. (n.d.). Fun is the Future: Mastering Gamification [Video file]. Retrieved from youtube.com
12 Examples Of Gamification In The Classroom
10 WEBSITES TO GAMIFY YOUR LESSONS