Serious Gaming
The idea of gamification and incorporating more digital games into the classroom is one I approach hesitantly. I'm not what you would describe as "a gamer." Don't get me wrong, we play a lot of games/do a lot of game-like activities in my classroom. I think bringing in new and fun elements to the classroom is important for students. I find it fascinating how adding the element of competition changes the engagement and effort levels immediately. However, I've not had much luck in finding quality digital math games that meet my content standards and are FREE. Therefore, I typically stick to powerpoint game templates and such because I can edit them to address the content I need.
However, from reading Melissa Whiteheads blog post, I had an epiphany. Melissa pointed out from the article Gamification: Using game like elements to redesign our classrooms that gamification does not have to mean playing online games in the classroom, but it is "changing the atmosphere of the classroom to make it more game-like."
This made me question what a "game-like" atmosphere even means, which led me to this site. They present the visual below which makes gamification much more attainable in my mind.
Gamification is simply created in how you introduce activities, track progress, award progress, and more. This makes me more apt to jump on the gaming wagon! It takes intentionality and enthusiasm on our part as teachers, but I do believe it will reap benefits!
However, from reading Melissa Whiteheads blog post, I had an epiphany. Melissa pointed out from the article Gamification: Using game like elements to redesign our classrooms that gamification does not have to mean playing online games in the classroom, but it is "changing the atmosphere of the classroom to make it more game-like."
This made me question what a "game-like" atmosphere even means, which led me to this site. They present the visual below which makes gamification much more attainable in my mind.
Gamification is simply created in how you introduce activities, track progress, award progress, and more. This makes me more apt to jump on the gaming wagon! It takes intentionality and enthusiasm on our part as teachers, but I do believe it will reap benefits!
In the article 10 Strategies to Make Learning Feel More Like a Game you cited, the second strategy is to allow second chances. I have always found it interesting after we complete a Quizizz game in class, students ask to do it again! Though many of them answer most of the questions based on memory, it gives the students an opportunity to focus on the problems they missed. I agree that it is hard to find mathematical games that address the exact standards we are trying to accomplish. Most of the time I find myself downloading an existing game and making adjustments or adding questions.
ReplyDeleteI love visual you found for gamification! I might have to print that off to remind myself when I am planning lesson or when I feel 'stuck.'
ReplyDeleteI also feel your struggle of finding online games that meet your standards and are free. The way that I have set up most of my lessons is students learn a song and we talk about a music topic that is enforced in the song and then we play a game that goes along with the song and enforces whatever topic we were discussing. In kindergarten we do a lot of songs and games with solos. Because of all the games we play I have students walking down the hallways asking me what game we will play in music that day. They even play the games and sing the songs at recess which I think is pretty awesome! It has worked for me and allows me to have fun with the kids while we are still learning about music things and it usually keeps everyone engaged and moving! I would like to find more games that are online to incorporate and my list is growing slowly, but I also need more devices to make that happen more. :)
I wouldn't consider myself much of a gamer either! However, I love the competition of games and the atmosphere that they bring. I try and incorporate as many games as possible into my lessons when I see fit. I think students are so engaged when we do this! I like how you pointed out that gamification doesn't mean playing online games, but it can mean changing the atmosphere of the classroom. I think creating a gaming environment for students would engage them greatly and they would be very interested in their learning. I know some teachers at my school use Class Dojo, which can be considered a gaming system since students are rewarded for their behavior. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSierra, I can definitely understand your hesitation to jump head first into online gaming. I've taught for several years and have always used games in my classroom. I remember creating board game games for my students to play in groups as a review. I also have my students use playing cards to practice math facts. Moving to online games has been a slow transition for me. However, some colleagues introduced me to a few that they liked and once I saw how engaged my students were with their learning, I decided to slowly introduce more.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that finding free games to match content standards can sometimes be a challenge. I will often go to a site such as Quizlet or Kahoot and make my own games so I know it covers the material I need it to. One math site I really like (and my students love), which allows me to choose standards and track student progress, is ProdigyGame.com. I'm not sure which middle school grade you teach, but the website shows that it is curriculum-aligned through 8th grade. You might like it!
I think that even if we choose not to fully move to online games, the idea of making our classroom more game-like is still a win. Our students love the idea of challenges and second-chances. The graphic is perfect! Like you mentioned, it's all in how we introduce activities and award progress. When our students feel like learning is fun and they're more motivated to learn, we all win.
One of my goals is to "gamify" my classroom for the following school year. If you are going to have a blended classroom this process can be really simple. One teacher that I know hangs a poster with each level on it in the front of her room with small cups attach to each level. As the students complete section after section, they move a popsicle stick with their name on it from cup to cup to "level up". This has created competition among the students and is also a visual reminder for students to recognize their progress. A teacher can also walk over to the poster to check which students are behind. In a blended classroom where all students work at their own pace, it is especially helpful for the teacher to be able to see where each student is at.
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