Teaching with Play: Games, Game-based Learning, and Gamification

This page offers resources related to my keynote at the 2020 TESOL International Association Virtual Convention on July 18.

Outline of the talk

  • My journey

  • Free play and game play

  • Motivation and psychology

  • Games, game-based learning, and gamification

  • Classroom resources

  • Paths and goals

Video

https://youtu.be/Vfax-LFDIBw

Academic resources

Chou, Y.-K. (2014). Actionable gamification: Beyond points, badges, and leaderboards. Milpitas, CA: Octalysis Media.

An explanation of "human-based design" and the eight motives and needs that make up this system for creating gamification that works.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985a). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.

A good place to start with Self-Determination Theory.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985b). The general causality orientations scale: Self-determination in personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 19, 109-134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0092-6566(85)90023-6.

More on self-determination theory.

Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (2001). Extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motivation in education: Reconsidered once again. Review of Educational Research, 71, 1-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/00346543071001001

Cognitive Evaluation Theory as a way of explaining anomalies with self-determination theory.

Healey, D. (2019). Advancing learning: Gamification. http://www.onestopenglish.com/advancing-learning-gamification-downloadable-pdf/557203.article

White paper on gamification, including a discussion of psychology research and classroom research on gamification.

Homer, R., Hew, K.F., Tan, C.Y. (2018). Comparing digital badges-and-points with classroom token systems: Effects on elementary school ESL students' classroom behavior and English learning. Educational Technology & Society, 21 (1), 137-151.

One of the few studies of gamification in primary school.

Hunicke, R., LeBlanc, M., & Zubek, R. (2004). MDA: A formal approach to game design and game research. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the AAAI Workshop on Challenges in Game AI, San Jose, CA.

Mechanics, dynamics, and affect in game design.

Kapp, K.M. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based strategies for training and education. San Francisco: John Wiley.

A good place to start when looking at gamification specifically in education.

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. New York: Penguin Books.

A seminal work on games for social good by an outstanding game designer.

Smolčec, M. & Smolčec, F. (2014). Using Minecraft for learning English. http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume18/ej70/ej70int/

A helpful article if you're thinking about using Minecraft.

York, J. (2014). Minecraft and language learning. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296537652

Another good article on using Minecraft.

(See also my gamification site at https://sites.google.com/site/gamificationforELteachers for more)

Classroom resources

Jeopardy templates (many are available online; these are just a sample) to download at https://www.lifewire.com/free-jeopardy-powerpoint-templates-1358186 or for online play at https://jeopardylabs.com/

Wheel of Fortune template (many are available online; these are just a sample) at https://www.rusnakcreative.com/gameshow/wheel_of_fortune

ManyThings.org at https://www.manythings.org for a variety of games and activities; crossword puzzle at http://www.manythings.org/cs/verbs7.html

Minute mysteries at http://www.squidoo.com/minutemysteries

5-minute mysteries at http://www.5minutemystery.com

Kahoot! at https://kahoot.com

Games for a social purpose - list at https://blog.ted.com/10-online-games-with-a-social-purpose/

My Life as a Refugee at https://mylifeasarefugee.org/game.html

Ways at http://writerguy.com/wwo/metahome.htm

Spent at http://playspent.org/html/

Games links from AmericanEnglish.state.gov at https://americanenglish.state.gov/culture-music-and-game-resources

Trace Effects additional resources at https://deborahhealey.com/trace

A Dog's Life at http://www.scholastic.com/dogslife/bonetravels.htm

Evil Landlady Action Maze at http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/quandary/version_2/examples/landlady.htm

Quandary for creating action mazes at https://web.uvic.ca/hrd/quandary/index.php

Minecraft (commercial program) at https://www.minecraft.net/

SimCity - original free version (using an emulator) or commercial version at https://www.ea.com/games/simcity

LinCity (free download for Windows or Linux) at https://sourceforge.net/projects/lincity-ng.berlios/

iCivics at https://www.icivics.org/; Immigration Nation at https://www.icivics.org/games/immigration-nation

My related sites

Music credits

Clusticus The Mistaken by Doctor Turtle (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. https://files.freemusicarchive.org/storage-freemusicarchive-org/music/ccCommunity/Doctor_Turtle/Always_The_Teasmade_Never_The_Tease_Doctor_Turtle_Singles/Doctor_Turtle_-_13_-_Clusticus_The_Mistaken.mp3

You’re Right but I’m Me by Doctor Turtle (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. https://files.freemusicarchive.org/storage-freemusicarchive-org/music/ccCommunity/Doctor_Turtle/Always_The_Teasmade_Never_The_Tease_Doctor_Turtle_Singles/Doctor_Turtle_-_12_-_Youre_Right_But_Im_Me.mp3

Reverie (small theme) by _ghost (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/_ghost/25389

Jazzy Sax, Guitar, and Organ at the Club by Admiral Bob (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/admiralbob77/58382

Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/basematic/34457

Organometron (140811 MIx) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/jlbrock44/33115

reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/59721

Heroic Adventure by Rafael Krux. This music is available for commercial and non-commercial purposes.https://freepd.com/music/Heroic%20Adventure.mp3

The Enemy. Written by Alexander Nakarada. Added January, 2020. This music is available for commercial and non-commercial purposes. https://freepd.com/music/The%20Enemy.mp3

Improvisation On Sunday... by Alex (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/AlexBeroza/17112

Spheres by Doxent Zsigmond (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/doxent/43475

28 Aussens@iten by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/56171

You can download the slides in PDF format:

Teaching with Play.pdf