The popularity of online gaming and the rise of reward-based study apps (e.g., Duolingo and Quizlet) has inspired a new education strategy into the classroom. Many teachers are taking game-like elements (such as points, awards and quests) and applying them to their lesson plans. This new approach is called gamification and it’s fast-becoming a popular teaching method for all learning levels.

What is Gamification?

Gamification uses game-like elements, like earning points, achieving levels, and competing with others, to create a dynamic, engaging approach to teaching methodologies. The goal is to increase student motivation, improve retention, and encourage active participation by giving immediate feedback and response clues.

Gamification is different from game-based learning. Game-based learning uses actual games (like Charades or Monopoly) to teach students concepts about math, language or other skills.

Gamification on the other hand applies the elements of such games to other learning activities—usually for the purpose of making a standard lesson more engaging. For example, a geology lesson using a visualizer or document camera may now include a point system for student guesses or use group teams to compete with answering questions.

Incorporating gamification into education is not only important because of the widespread use of digital tools in today’s world, but also because of the impact of enticing students via non-traditional teaching methods.

Key Strategies of Gamification

  • Points and Leaderboards - Much like game points or experience (XP) points, students gain points for assignments or activities completed. A leaderboard records the top points-earners to inspire competition. Having a system for students to track their progress and performance can encourage participation and task completion.
  • Quests & Challenges - Structuring the curriculum as a series of quests or missions can foster a student’s long-term engagement in material. Organizing math lessons into mini-quests or vocabulary lessons into a hierarchy of challenges is useful as it integrates learning objectives into long-term game play for students.
  • Awards, Badges and Achievements - A badge or award is given in games to denote an achievement or level unlocked. In the classroom, a badge can be given for solving a unique math problem or an award given for completing a number of assignments. Awarding students for milestones and mastery of content encourages active participation.
  • Storytelling and Role Playing - This is the concept of getting students more interested in material by creating immersive narratives around a subject. For example, students can act out math problems or recount a history lesson as a particular character. This benefits different learning styles and promotes a deeper understanding of the content being taught.

Benefits of Gamification

Employing gamification into a classroom environment has shown to have an overall benefit to students. There are several key areas where positive outcomes are evident:

  1. Motivation & Engagement - Gamification can help students stay motivated by providing a sense of accomplishment and progress. In addition, reaching milestones and choosing their quests can encourage learners to continue their efforts.
  2. Collaboration and social skills - When team-based challenges are introduced, students increase their cooperation and communication skills.
  3. Improved learning outcomes - Gamified activities like story-based missions and achievement levels promote better retention and comprehension levels for students due to interactive learning.
  4. Adaptive learning - Using gamification accommodates different learning styles (visual, auditory) and an adaptive learning approach can tailor learning experiences to student progress and accommodate their different skill levels.

Challenges of Gamification

However, deploying a gamified approach comes with many caveats — mainly, that teachers need to balance fun and educational value. Gamification should enhance student learning rather than distract from it and tasks must align with the curriculum expectations.

Moreover, the overemphasis on competition can negatively affect some students depending on their level. It’s important to foster an environment of inclusivity in order to address the varying experience among students. Gamification should ensure equal access to resources and participation, be it students with disabilities or online participants in a hyflex classroom.

Tools for Teachers

Teacher overseeing game by students with colorful headsets

Technology plays a big part in gamifying classroom activities. Different devices and online tools can do everything from planning lessons to tracking student progress. Here’s a breakdown of some tech tools for teachers and how they’re being used:

  • LMS with Gamified Features - a Learning Management System (LMS) is a software ​​application used to create, manage, organize, and deliver online learning material. New tools like ClassSwift, and Google Classroom add-ons provide features that support gamified experiences.
  • Mobile Apps and Games - There are literally hundreds of educational apps designed for the classroom. Many of these applications offer customization so that teachers can design game-like lessons for different subjects.

The Future of Gamification in the Classroom

Gamification has evolved beyond being just a teaching trend, offering a transformative approach to learning. With the integration of AI-driven game design, technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are poised to create even more immersive and engaging learning environments, tailoring educational experiences to individual needs.

Moreover, gamifying class activities has the power to extend beyond traditional classrooms and create models for life-long learning. Gamification creates a world where continuous learning can be both engaging and personalized, promoting skill development at any stage in life.

Conclusion

Teachers have always struggled with creating an engaging environment for students, and gamification is an exciting new tool to curb this issue. By deploying technological tools along with game-like activities, teachers can promote healthy competition and collaboration while also improving student outcomes and overall motivation.

AVer is committed to creating strong educational experiences for students and teachers alike — see how our solutions can work for your classroom.