Gamification is the inclusion of components of games in the classroom (Daley, 2014). The gamification process begins with identifying the tasks for which students can earn badges (Daley, 2014). Once a student completes that task, a badge is given to show that the task has been completed. A teacher may also decide to give physical rewards to students, such as stickers, but this is not a requirement of gamification (Daley, 2014). Once students earn a certain number of badges, they move to the next level, allowing them to evaluate their progress relative to that of their classmates.

There are many reasons why a teacher may decide to include components of games in their teaching. First, gamification is beneficial to the learning process (Pandey, 2015). Through gamification, the learning process is more interactive, allowing students to participate more in what they are being taught. This also makes the learning more enjoyable for students (Pandey, 2015). The combination of interactivity and enjoyability makes it more likely that students will remember what they are being taught.

Another reason to gamify learning is to facilitate differentiated instruction (Prodigy, n.d.). Gamification allows students to work at a pace and at a level that best meets their needs, regardless of the paces and levels that their classmates prefer. Prodigy is a great website for gamifying mathematics in grades 1-8, especially for this reason (Prodigy, n.d.). The game adjusts to each student's achievement level, allowing students to be challenged without frustrating them by expectations that are too high for them to meet. Teachers can see which students are achieving well below grade level, below grade level, or at and above grade level in each strand of the mathematics curriculum, helping them to report on student learning (Prodigy, n.d.). For these reasons, Prodigy is definitely a tool that I can see myself using in my future classroom.

References

Daley (2014). Education levels up! - a noObs guide to gamifying your classroom. Retrieved from https://lms.brocku.ca/access/content/group/08f85dc7-36a4-4dfc-af19-c07041ee622e/TPACK%20Teacher%20Quest/Mr.%20Daley%20-%20education%20levels%20up-1.pdf

Pandey, A. (2015). Top 6 benefits of gamification in elearning. Retrieved from https://www.eidesign.net/top-6-benefits-of-gamification-in-elearning-2/

Prodigy (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.prodigygame.com/