The Many Levels of Gamification

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In a world where technology rules, video games in education have become a popular trend. If students are interested in gaming, why not add educational twists to games to increase motivation? However, gaming does not have to be strictly limited to video games. Elements of gaming can be added to any classroom through the process of gamification.

What is Gamification?

Bristow (2015)  explains that gamification “focuses on using game thinking and game mechanics to turn an otherwise mundane task into something engaging and perhaps even competitive.” In regards to education, teachers can add elements of games to daily tasks in order to motivate students to learn. The idea is that if students are engaged in classroom tasks, they will be more likely to try harder and better learn and retain information.

How to use Gamification in Your Classroom

Bristow (2015) also explains several methods that could be used to gamify classrooms:

• Add achievements to daily tasks, such as giving tokens or stickers to students for good behavior or certain scores on tests.
• Give badges as rewards to show privilege, such as Hall Monitor. Badges indicating other classroom achievements can also be placed on desks, posted on the classroom wall, or sent home.
• Use a leveling or ranking system that enables students to receive more privileges for reaching higher levels.
• Create leaderboards that allow students to earn points through daily activities to increase their position on the leaderboard.

Gamification can include both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Giving students tokens, stickers, or badges are forms of extrinsic motivators for students to continue to perform well. However, gamification can also be intrinsically motivating. Students can take pride in their achievements, which can motivate them to keep trying. According to Papp (n.d.), some students also feel a sense of pride and enjoyment when helping their teams achieve a goal in a gamified classroom.

Examples of Gamification in Real Classrooms

As I completed the research for this blog, I was instantly reminded of my colleague who teaches 9th grade Biology. He uses the leveling/ranking and leaderboard methods of gamification in his classroom. After every major exam, he posts the average test scores for his three sections of the course. The goal, of course, is to be in the section with the highest score. Not only do these students receive the bragging privilege of coming in first, but they also are exempt from the next small, daily review quiz that he gives several times a week. Additionally, he has a “Wall of Fame” in his room that posts the top 15 Biology Keystone scores of his past students. Names are added and removed each summer after new scores arrive. This serves as a motivation technique for students to perform well on the test.

Another example of gamification in real classrooms comes from Levin (2015) who teaches English in Thailand. He outlines several examples of gamification techniques in the classroom. For example, he uses a point system instead of actual grades. For each unit, students must earn a specific number of points to pass that level. Points are earned by completing homework, scoring on quizzes, contributing to classroom discussions, etc. Unlike a traditional grading system where a bad test score may prevent students from receiving a high grade, this system provides students several opportunities to master a topic and advance to the next level, just like in a real game. He also created a leaderboard to add the motivation of competition to the classroom.

Pros and Cons of Gamification

As mentioned above, the biggest pro of incorporating gamification into the classroom is that it can increase engagement and motivation, which will lead to better achievement in the classroom. The “Gamification in Education” infographic provides statistics indicating that students are more motivated and productive when gaming incentives are added to tasks.

Additionally, Ford (n.d.) explains that gamification could help provide instant feedback to students and increase social interactions. Through the use of leaderboards, students would be aware of their current standings on a regular basis. Also, if competition is set-up in a collaborative manner, students can learn how to better interact socially in order to perform better at the given task.

However, there are also several cons of gamification. Zalno (2013) notes two potential drawbacks of gamification. First, using extrinsic motivators such as badges can often lead to a decrease in motivation over time once the novelty of these rewards wears off. Also, placing an emphasis on leveling up or earning badges can place the importance on the game itself instead of the actual learning experience. Students may become more concerned about “winning” than they are about actually learning, retaining, and being able to apply the content material.

One concern I also have with gamification is that students may become too dependent on gamification in the classroom and may not be able to remain engaged and motivated in future courses that use more traditional approaches. Specifically, I worry about my high school juniors and seniors, many of whom will soon be off to college. While gamification is also beginning to show up at the college level, chances are that my students will have to take several courses that are not gamified. I want to make sure they are prepared to succeed in such classes. As a result, I believe that, especially at the high school level, gamification should not take over the classroom. If teachers incorporate a few solid gaming elements into key areas of instruction, students can receive the benefits of gamification but will not become too dependent on it and may also be less likely to suffer from some of the negative drawbacks mentioned above.

References

Bristow, E. (2015). Gaming in education: gamification? The Edublogger. Retrieved from https://www.theedublogger.com/2015/01/20/gaming-in-education-gamification/

Ferriman, J. (2016). Gaming in education stats. Retrieved from https://www.learndash.com/gamification-in-education-stats/

Ford, T. (n.d.). 4 pros and cons to gamified learning. Retrieved from https://tophat.com/blog/gamified-learning/

Levin, R. (2015). A practical way to apply gamification in the classroom. ELearning Industry. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/practical-way-to-apply-gamification-in-the-classroom

Papp, T. (n.d.). The impact og gamification on students’ extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://conference.pixel-online.net/FOE/files/foe/ed0007/FP/3607-ICL2320-FP-FOE7.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwjhztKq39zXAhXOQt8KHWs8Da8QFgg0MAA&usg=AOvVaw3nR1e-gSkQReEObaGOFgX_

Zalno, J. (2013). The pros and cons of gamification in the classroom. Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2013/07/pros-and-cons-gamification-classroom