Gamification in Education

As traditional teaching methods struggle to maintain students’ attention, gamification is emerging as a dynamic solution that blends fun with education, making learning an adventure rather than a chore. In this article, we will dive into what gamification is, its benefits, and some practical ways to implement it in your classroom. 

What is it?

Gamification involves the use of game-design elements and principles such as levels, leaderboards, badges, and scores in a non-game context to promote engagement, motivation, active learning, and even retention. These gamified elements allow educators to tap into students’ natural desire for accomplishment and recognition. It also provides opportunities for individualized learning experiences that are catered to the specific requirements and skills of each student.

 Benefits

Studies show that gamification triggers the release of dopamine in the brain giving players an increased sense of motivation and enjoyment. Playing games contributes to neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to respond to different stimuli. Through gamified learning experiences, neural pathways are strengthened, leading to improvements in cognitive skills such as memory, attention, problem-solving, and creativity. Gamification fosters lifelong skills such as cooperation, social awareness and critical thinking. The instant feedback students receive empowers them to identify their strengths and areas for improvement creating a more tailored and effective learning experience.

 A word of caution

While healthy competition can help motivate students and build resilience, some students can find it demotivating, especially the ones who are trailing behind. You can find ways to incorporate gamification by focusing on skills other than accuracy or speed. For example, points or badges can be awarded to students who demonstrate outstanding collaboration, compassion, problem-solving, grit, etc. This also leads to an understanding that there is more to success than coming out on top.  

Classroom favourites

A quick search for ‘gamification in education’ will lead you down a rabbit hole of possibilities so save time with our list of tried-and-true resources to get you started.  

Kahoot!

A well-known classic, this free learning platform allows teachers to create games and quizzes to be played as a group in the classroom. Students use a device (phone, tablet, or computer) to participate and are awarded points for accuracy and speed. Teachers can share their Kahoots with the community meaning you can often find a Kahoot that fits your curriculum without needing to create a new one.

Blooket

Similar to Kahoot!, Blooket is an online quiz platform where students use a device to answer questions. Blooket takes the gamification element to a new level. The host/teacher chooses a game mode providing a mini-game for students to play using rewards for answering questions correctly. There are plenty of teacher made Blooket sets to choose from. There are several free games to choose from with seasonal or limited-time games released throughout the year.

Baamboozle

To play Baamboozle, you only need one device and ideally a way to share your screen with the class. Teams compete to answer questions to earn points. You can create your own questions or search the many teacher-made games in their database. There are other game options available in the paid version.

Khan Academy

This non-profit provides completely free online learning to students and incorporates gamification practices to measure progress and achievement, as well as allow students to compete through leaderboards, badges, and more. From pre-K to college level, the platform offers courses in math, language, science, reading, life skills, and more.

Prodigy

This Canadian company provides the chance for students to practice standards-aligned skills in Math and English as they explore a virtual world and play adaptive learning games. This platform is more time-consuming to set up, but there are useful tools to help you create assignments and monitor their progress. It is designed to be a regular classroom or homework activity and includes tools for parents to be involved.

If you want more suggestions, leave a comment on this blog and we will add to the list.

Offline Ideas 

Points

You can design a system to award points to students individually or in groups to motivate students and encourage the behaviour you want to see. Points can be awarded for reaching academic objectives such as a correct answer or using evidence, but also for procedural objectives such as having their homework out and ready at the start of class. By letting the class decide the reward, you can get more buy-in from students. Some examples are extra recess, sitting where you want for the day, listening to music while working, homework passes, etc.

Badges

Determine the behaviours you want to reinforce in the classroom and create badges to match these. You can get your students to brainstorm ideas or align them with your school’s ethos. For example, the International Baccalaureate learner profiles (risk-taker, caring, open-minded, principled, reflective, …) would make great badges. Once you’ve determined the badges students can earn, give them concrete examples of how they can earn them. Norah is typically shy and doesn’t like participating in discussions. She was a risk-taker when she raised her hand to share her thoughts with the class so she earned a risk-taker badge. Students can set goals for themselves, encourage each other, and even nominate each other for badges.

Progress Tracking

Big tasks or goals are always easier when broken into smaller chunks. Have your students set a goal for themselves and determine milestones towards accomplishing it. As they progress, they can track their progress on a graph or thermometer. This can be encouraging when the going gets tough or motivation is waning. Accomplishing the goal can be seen as levelling up.

Conclusion

Incorporating gamification into your teaching doesn’t require a big shift in your approach, and it can have a significant impact on engagement and motivation. There are plenty of resources available to gamify content or strategies you already use. Remember that gamification is more than just playing games; it’s a thoughtful approach to incorporating elements of games to make classroom activities more stimulating which increases learning.