Please note: There are approximately 65 minutes of required videos. In addition, you should also devote about 30 minutes (in total) to the various required links to games. Plan your work. Take breaks between the video groupings and between the games. Think about the content of each section.

Thinking about Thinking & Learning / Games & Gamification

Thinking & Learning

Please watch the two video clips of Dr. Derek Cabrera's TED Talk about "How Thinking Works." 

The Power of a Mind to Map: Tony Buzan at TEDxSquareMile

Tony Buzan developed the concept of mind mapping. Please watch these three video sections of one of his TED Talks. 

(OPTIONAL, but highly recommended!!)

Want to learn better? Start mind mapping: Hazel Wagner

(Back to required material)

There are many mind-mapping tools available. One of the free tools that is quite easy to use is "Smart Mapping" at: http://www.wisemapping.com/

Here's an example of a "wisemap," which was created in a few minutes. Because it's a jpeg image, the links and notes are not interactive. (To allow for inter-activity, you would have to SHARE the original wisemap by inviting people to be "viewers" or "editors.")

(Required) Games & Gamification

Using occasional games in your lessons is a great way to motivate your students and to present content in a different way, but these occasional games are not "gamification." Gamification is the systematic structuring of the learning experience (entirely or certain parts) as a game.   

Please watch these three sections of Dr. Judy Willis's explanation of the underlying scientific reasons for the gamification of her elementary school classes. 

In response to Judy Willis’s call for using the video game format, you can check out Games to Learn English at http://gamestolearnenglish.com/ which sugar-coats “drill-and-kill” exercises with a video game format.

Another site, with an apt title, for English language games is http://www.learningchocolate.com/ 

Weekly suggestions for EFL games:

At the time of this writing, there is a WhatsApp group dedicated to suggesting games each week for Isreali EFL teachers. Here's the sign-up link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FGTsdWV7M9o6a5kSwi8dVg 

Wordwall

Wordwall, in general, falls into the category of sugar-coated drill-and-kill exercises. There are many different game formats in Wordwall - some of which are not sugar-coated drill-and-kill. You will probably find some of the games worthwhile to use in your online or f2f classes. Currently, the free version let's you choice five of the formats, but you will then be able to change the content of the formats. Click here and here for more information about Wordwall and how to use it.

Two caveats for Wordwall (and similar tools): 

1. Each game recognizes only one set of correct answers. If you are not careful, you might pose questions that actually have more than one correct answer.

2. Think about the effective use of time in each of the game formats! Some games have a lot of fun in them but spend very little time actually reviewing the educational content. (The Maze format in Wordwall is a good example of such a high-fun/low-educational game in Wordwall.) 

Quizezz.com - Again (OPTIONAL)

Russell Stannard suggests using Quizizz.com for gamification in hybrid classes and fully online classes. You may want to watch this expanded version of an optional video you may have watched in Lesson 09. 

ZenGengo: Multi-Game Platform for Language Teaching (OPTIONAL)

If your school is willing to pay $8 per month for a great game platform for teaching languages, then please watch Russell Stannard's tutorial about ZenGengo. If your school can't finance $8 per month, you might consider paying for the benefits yourself. (OPTIONAL)

Games & Simulations (with English in them)

Although sugar-coated exercises do increase motivation, there are much better games for education. These games have English built into the game. Unfortunately, a lot of these games were eliminated by technological "progress" (when advanced HTML browsers stopped using FLASH technology), but no doubt there will be more in the future. 

Quandary

For intermediate level and advanced classes, “Quandary” (http://www.quandarygame.org/play) is a great game for teaching thinking skills and improving English. To quote a recent research project about Quandary, using the game:

• Increased fact vs. opinion comprehension

• Increased self-reported perspective-taking

• Increased prosocial identities (concern for others)

• Increased positive perceptions of classroom climate when Quandary was used as part of a project-based curriculum

• And in addition to these positive findings, teachers using Quandary in their classrooms reported 100% satisfaction with the game, plus high levels of student engagement, with 87% of students reporting enjoyment of Quandary. As the research team notes in its report, “Data shows that Quandary is a fun and engaging option for teachers looking to capture students’ interest while fostering skills related to critical thinking, understanding facts, reasoning about ethical situations, and caring about others.”

OPTIONAL: To read the executive report of the research paper about Quandary, please click here.

EduWeb

Please explore "EduWeb," at http://www.eduweb.com/work , which is an outstanding collection of high-quality educational games covering history, science, engineering, geography, and "other." The games are aimed at different age groups, but all of them offer a wealth of English in the process of playing the game. Yes, the games are mostly for native English speakers, but many are also suitable for stronger EFL/ESL classes. Browsing the games is instructive about online learning, even if you don't find a game suitable for your current classes. Please spend 5 to 10 minutes seeing what's available in EduWeb. 

Gamification

The information, above, is about using individual games in the classroom. Please read this short May 2019 article by Christopher Timothy McGuirk, entitled "Can you learn a language playing video games? What the research says" (featured in episode 719 of the Grammar Girl podcast).

Please note that the concept of "gamification" is a larger idea: using a lot of meaningful and time-effective games is good pedagogy, but it is not gamification. Gamification is turning the entire class and curriculum into a game-based process. Please watch the following video. If you want more about gamification, click here. 

(OPTIONAL)

Here's a short 21 January 2021 tutorial about 5 free tools that can help gamify your class. (You know some of them already, but now think about them in terms of gamification.) In particular, consider Classcraft for the over-all gamified class (rather than individual game elements of that class).

(Optiona) Extended Reading 

This recent article may be of use if you are doing your seminar paper on gamefication.

Qiao, S., Yeung, S. S., Shen, X. A., Leung, K. L., Ng, T. K., & Chu, S. K.

W. (2024). How competitive, cooperative, and collaborative gamification

impacts student learning and engagement. Language Learning & Technology,

28(1), 1–19. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/73546

(Please excuse the formatting, Google Sites won't let me create the hanging indents that APA require.)

Homework:

Please note: Late homework will be penalized 20% of the initial grade. Your first post is worth 60% and the second post (a meaningful response to some one else) is worth 40%.  

Please post your answers to the following questions in the Lesson 19 discussion forum of MOODLE. Post one initial post with your answers, and then post a REPLY to another student's initial post. 

1. Please spend 5 to 10 minutes examining the http://gamestolearnenglish.com/ site and the http://www.learningchocolate.com/ site. Would you have your students use these sites (and sites like them)? Why? Why not? 

2. (YOUR CHOICE!) Spend 5 to 10 minutes playing Quandary at http://www.quandarygame.org/play   OR spend 5 to 10 minutes exploring a potentially useful game in EduWeb. Would you have your older/advanced students play these games? Why? Why not? What do you think about the qualitative difference between this type of game and the games in question #1?

3. After reading the text, watching the videos, and exploring some of the games in this lesson; in the Lesson 19 forum answer at least TWO of the following questions: 

a. Of the games you examined, which were the most potentially useful for your classes? Why? Which were the least useful? Why? (Specify which game you examined.)

b. To what extent does Dr. Cabrera's TED Talk re-enforce the rationale behind the HOTS literature program? (Please note: This does not refer to the success or failure of the actual program. We are relating to the underlying concepts.)

c. To what extent do you accept Tony Buzon's central thesis? Have you used mind-mapping with any of your classes (as students or as teachers)? Have you used mind-mapping techniques to help organized the material for your academic papers? What is your opinion of mind-mapping?

d. To what extent do you accept Willis's central thesis about the "gamification" of learning and McGuirk's research about video games for foreign language learning? Do you think that games (digital or otherwise) would improve the Israeli EFL classroom? (If you already use games frequently in your class, please describe the results.)

e. To what extent do Dr. Cabrera, Tony Buzon, Dr. Willis, and the other sources connect with Sir Kenneth's challenge of changing educational paradigms?

Read all the students' posts and REPLY to at least one with a meaningful post.