Topic:
Gamification, which has become common in the classroom, is a new teaching tool. While the average student spends about 6.5 hours a day playing video games, teachers have concerns that games lessen the motivation for students to stay offline long enough to complete assignments. However, it has been brought to the education community’s attention that gaming is a psychological stress reliever. As stated by Grow The Engineering, being rewarded in games releases the feel-good hormone, dopamine. Gamification focuses on giving instant feedback to learners, which might not otherwise be available, and by associating learning with positive emotions through rewards, students are encouraged to seek out more learning for even more rewards.
I was hesitant to immerse myself in gamification when I was first introduced to the idea because of my inexperience in using games to learn. Since I had not previously heard of the term, my initial thoughts about gamification were filled with dread. As a current college student, distractions are relatively common, and while I fear that gaming can become a distraction, my worries subsided as I realized that by gamification is really valuable because of the instantaneous feedback and rewards that students are able to achieve through gamification. The ability to enjoy school while still learning is one aspect of gamification that will revolutionize how the future of education functions.
Assumptions:
A few assumptions I had about gamification included misconceptions about how useful it could be, and how applicable games could be to learning standards and expectations of educators. I assumed that only experienced professionals could use gamification effectively, specifically because the topic was introduced in a class about instructional technology for educators. My assumptions stemmed from unfamiliarity in using games in a classroom. As a product of a rural school system with little funding, my access to technology was limited and therefore translated to no new experiences with the evolving education tools. Before learning more about the subject, I imagined that I would not be able to integrate this tactic into my own future classroom.
In evaluating my assumptions prior to exploring the versatility of gamification, I can now recognize the flaws in my assumptions. By employing games in the classroom, a student can learn more effectively and have a deeper understanding of a topic because of the interactiveness and reward system of gaming. Gamification can be used by educators of all varieties, from prospective teachers to licensed professionals, and is useful in providing a new opportunity for students to have a more individualized learning track. Furthermore, by allowing students to build a comfortability and self-awareness in using games for learning, teachers can enable students to form their own system or navigating the temptation of using games destructively both in and outside of the classroom.
Here are a few educational games, play them and experience the thrill of problem-solving:
New Ideas:
While learning about gamification and about how to utilize it in the classroom, I was able to hear Bethany Smith speak about how she uses games for education and how she teaches others to use employ gamification in the classroom. Bethany Smith made it clear that gamification is a new and upcoming field of development for educating future generations, and by exposing our class to a real example of how gaming in the classroom can be constructive, I was able to make my first connection with how to use gamification in my own future classrooms. At the beginning of Ms. Smith’s presentation, the class was given a spreadsheet of tasks that, when completed, awarded a badge for proficiency. Throughout the presentation, the class completed activities to receive badges and see who could be the winner. From that activity, I was able to personally see how gamifying a classroom and a subject could fuel learning and engagement form students, whether stemming from competition or from curiosity.
This experience provided me with the confidence to gamify my own topic with a group, mainly because it was assigned but also because it was fun and exciting. While paired with other group members, my group was able to have students identify what the digital divide is and how to help bridge the divide between students within a classroom through a game sheet. From this, I learned that education can be both entertaining and informative. I believe that gamification will help improve student participation in class, the reason being that some students are shy and feel discouraged from being involved in the classroom, but by immersing students in an environment where their ideas and questions can be heard and answered, students are more likely to benefit from attending school. Additionally, the neuroscience behind gamification opens up a field of unutilized tools that could greatly benefit untraditional learners. From Ms. Smith’s presentation, I gained knowledge about the importance of providing new opportunities for growth and change in the classroom, and I have a further understanding behind why gamification is actually a good thing for the future of education.
A Course of Action:
Next time I am given the opportunity to experience the excitement and thrill of playing games to learn about a topic, I will reevaluate how games can be altered to cater to a specific student’s learning needs. Whether constant feedback, rewards, or the suspense of trying to solve a problem is needed for a student to feel valued and competent, gamification is one way to achieve all of those goals for a variety of learners. In future gamification experiences, I hope to be engaged enough that I forget that I have responsibilities beyond the game, much like how students try to feel when gaming.
Learn more about the neuroscience behind how gamification is beneficial for students:
Is Gamification Effective: The Neuroscience of Gamification in Online Learning
From successfully planning a gamification activity, I have gained new skills on how to relate to games in the classroom on a personal level to benefit my future students For future reference, I plan to use gamification in my classroom as a way to introduce my students to new content and make the engagement in my classroom successful and sustainable. Moreover, I believe I will utilize my platform as an educator to employ new teaching techniques into my classroom to give students the opportunity to expand their horizons on how to learn effectively.
Learned:
After indulging in gamification, I conclude that as a prospective teacher this resource is one with immeasurable benefits. Having the ability to create opportunities for students to learn through experience rather than simply listening to a lecture or reading from a book, playing games in the classroom will help students translate information into understanding. By seeing the differences in classroom performance, engagement, and interaction, I hope to better my teaching habits and improve the quality of education my students receive. Throughout the process of studying how gamification can be used by educators, I have learned that classrooms are more than just for listening, but also for learning, understanding, and questioning.
