In education the goals are only slightly different. Teachers certainly use gamification to increase consumption and engagement, but we are also interesting in helping students "learn better" and "care more" about school, goals that lead to increases in consumption and engagement. As a result, gamification in education might be more about process and emotion than the same practices in business.
But enough theory. I'm certainly no expert. You can read some of the research I consulted when I started this piece here.
So yesterday I decided to "gamify" my College Algebra class. We were on a 80 minute block schedule day and the planned lesson was a set of word problems, a task that my students dislike on a good day. The class meets at 8am and my seniors drag in most days clutching a cup of coffee like a life preserver. When I told them we were working on word problems, there was moaning. When I mentioned that they would have to move around, there was more moaning. "Can't we just work in groups?" I ignored them.
The task was simple. They were assigned ten problems and divided into pairs with a single calculator. Every five minutes they moved on to the next problem with a new partner. At the end of the cycle we graded the papers and the student that scored the highest won a prize. Students needed to correct their errors as homework.
By the end of class they were no longer sleepy. I am confident that I had every student on task for the entire period. Every student score a 90% or above. Students could ask for help if needed, but frankly, they asked only one question the entire time. They just figured each problem out, the strong students helping the weaker as needed. There was plenty of laughter and movement, two factors that contribute to a lot of successful games and learning.
I have colleagues all over my school trying out gamification. Some have created elaborate games where students earn individual badges and team points using a Harry Potter model. Others are like me, use simple games to enhance learning of topics that are particularly challenging or to foster an interest in reviewing before a test.
The only question that still needs asking is whether gamification helped students meet any of the goals. Did gaming yesterday's class help my students learn better and/or care more about school and as a result increase consumption of and/or engagement in math. I'm going to ask them today in class, but what do you think?
Does gamification work in your classroom? Can you tell me about ways you have used games to meet your educational goals?
Yes. Always believed in it. But then again, I have taught in the Fine Arts. Historically, and specifically Theater/Speech, has always employed gamification to decrease self-consciousness and fear, increase communication and focus, engage the student in healthy classroom risk taking, aid in student's ability to connect seemingly unrelated points making the leap from mere knowledge (awareness of definition/fact) to wisdom (understanding of interconnection/interdependence) and awaken the imagination. Of course, Theater has also historically erred on the side of gamification for gamification's sake- erroneously thinking that simply playing the games engenders any of the above skills. I've always thought academic classes could use more gamification and Fine Arts classes could use more academia to find a healthy, productive balance that increases emotional intelligence while also engendering academic success.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Rich. I agree that a healthy balance of content delivery is always preferable and nothing should be done simply for its own sake. Gamification is just one of the many tools in a teacher's toolbox. I love that you think that fine arts need more academic work. I am always so in awe of the artist, but do not realize the underlying foundation of academic work that informs the creativity and artistry. The arts are so far beyond my area of expertise, but it is wonderful to know that our content delivery methods are not always so far apart.
DeleteI've taken my students on a tour of GE, and they use gamification there. I figure if it works for one of the largest companies in the world why not the classroom. The example used at GE was basically a punch card system, to try and encourage healthy eating. Buy a piece of fruit, get a punch, order from the healthy menu get a punch etc. 10 punches you get a free lunch or something like that. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteEric
Hey... what a great idea! I wonder if that would work in our cafeteria??
DeleteOf course gamification is actually inherent in education. Do some work, earn a grade... Unfortunately we lose a lot of kids if the game isn't fun and the rewards aren't valued. That's where the teacher comes in to encourage the emotional engagement.
Loving the punch card idea!! Can be used for incentives like a free HW 100% or extra credit!
ReplyDeleteI know, right??
DeleteI try to use this as much as I can. Probably the kids' favorite is in AP Psychology, after we learn about theories of intelligence, I break the kids into groups and their task is to create an intelligence test. They can try and test G, or they can test only a few aspects of intelligence, like logical or kinetic or linguistic, as long as they show me data of how that specific intelligence correlates G. They can even plagiarize from other tests they find, as long as they cite them. After a few days worth of work, they administer their test to the rest of the class, to me, and to any teachers who I invite or stumble in. After they present their tests and explain their choices, after they administer them, and after we compare the data and discuss all the tests, the class votes for which test they thought was the best based on validity, reliability, and general creativity. To be on the winning team is worth 4 extra credit points on a test, so they work pretty hard for it. On the end of the year evaluations I have kids who talk about this activity.
ReplyDeleteI always find it amazing that kids find some really challenging things the most fun sometimes, especially when I know how busy they are. Perhaps it comes back to the idea that they determined it was worth their time, that the work connected to something emotional as well as cognitive. Perhaps this is the real value of gamification. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts...
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