What is Gamification?
Gamification is the application of game elements and principles in non-game contexts. To put it simply it is game-based learning. The purpose is to use principles and key elements of gaming to meet the required learning objectives. There are three types of experiences with gamification: game experience, game-like experience, and gamified experience.
Game Experience
Game experience is when a teacher creates or uses a game to support students in learning. An example of game experience is when a teacher creates a game to help students learn the concepts associated with probability.
Gamified Experience
An example of gamified experience is when a teacher creates a point-based structure to be able to have the class discuss.
Game-like Experience
An example of Game-like experience is when a teacher assigns the role of a doctor to teach about the body system. Game-like principles are everyone is a participant, learning feels like play, everything is interconnected, learning happens by doing, failure is framed as iteration, feedback is immediate and ongoing, and challenge is constant.
Using Badges in the Classroom
You should use points and badges in the classroom and keep track of them so your students can compete and strive to reach their goals. This allows you students to have choice because they won’t all complete the badges in the same order but reaching their end goal is what matters. It also allows your students to feel failure and have to persist to meet their goals and accomplish what they want to accomplish. By using points with the badges it shows that some assignments are worth more and more important to complete. The badges also give your students a tangible reward and it acknowledges skill. It also provides opportunities for collaboration with classmates. It can also help teachers asses their students and what they need improvement on. That is very beneficial to teachers and I will definitely be using badges in my classroom.
Use Badges in Google Classroom: https://youtu.be/GZpRySxM1OE
Badge Resources: https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/5-awesome-resources-for-badges-in-the-classroom/
How to Gamify Your Classroom
You can adapt old school games such as scavenger hunts, bingo, dice games, Connect Four and Scrabble or create a digital scavenger hunt. You can allow your students to play digital games such as Kahoot and Quizlet. Breakout EDU also has a collection of digital games and puzzles that allow your students to critically think. You can also create a quest for your students around the classroom. You can also set up a badge system where they can earn certain badges for completing assignments or certain tasks. Challenge your class to make their own game. There are many other ways besides these to gamify your classroom! I am going to use these ideas in my classroom to make learning more fun and interactive for my students.
More In-depth Instruction on How to Gamify Your Classroom:
https://www.iste.org/explore/In-the-classroom/5-ways-to-gamify-your-classroom
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/how-to-gamify-your-classroom/
https://ditchthattextbook.com/15-ways-to-gamify-your-class/
