We have been exploring the idea of integrating the foundation of gaming into the classroom for quite some time now. However, before this session with Liz Kolb, I was still unsure of how it would be practically applied to a classroom. For instance, I wondered things like how grading would work, if competition would isolate students, and how you incorporate standards into the system of gamification. Well, Lix answered most of these questions during her hour session called "I Am Pac-Man".
Some of the session covered material that, as I said, we were already introduced to during our technology course. For example, changing grades into experience points, was a concept that Liz talked about as a way to deviate from the negative drawbacks of grades and how they are typically perceived by kids. Under this concept, earning experience points will allow you to level up and master certain topics or skills being taught in the class. Once you have earned enough points, you can show the instructor and move onto the next level. This idea emphasizes incremental rewards and consistent boosts of confidence. The points can only go up, which is a nice idea to remove the negative image of a bad grade. Even when a student does poorly, he/she is still gaining points. This is a concept I like.
How this shows up in grade books, at conferences, and in IEPs and such is something that I am still unsure about. However, with some further research and closer inspection, it seems doable. However, I still foresee some of the same cons of grades surfacing with experience points. Comparing class points for example, may deter some students from engaging because they know they are so far behind that they will never be able to 'catch up'.
Monitoring progress and tracking student performance is an aspect of gamification that sounds like it would really benefit student learning. Especially in an environment that thrives on setting and achieving personal goals. This could allow for a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, depending on the types of learners in the classroom.
Overall, like anything else, I think you have to know your students and what best serves them before choosing a style of teaching that appears to be as rigid and structured as this. It's a gamble that seems to pay dividends when used by a seasoned veteran, but it's a risk I don't see myself taking for quite some time.
I really want to play Pac-Man now, though. Any arcades around here?
How this shows up in grade books, at conferences, and in IEPs and such is something that I am still unsure about. However, with some further research and closer inspection, it seems doable. However, I still foresee some of the same cons of grades surfacing with experience points. Comparing class points for example, may deter some students from engaging because they know they are so far behind that they will never be able to 'catch up'.
Monitoring progress and tracking student performance is an aspect of gamification that sounds like it would really benefit student learning. Especially in an environment that thrives on setting and achieving personal goals. This could allow for a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, depending on the types of learners in the classroom.
Overall, like anything else, I think you have to know your students and what best serves them before choosing a style of teaching that appears to be as rigid and structured as this. It's a gamble that seems to pay dividends when used by a seasoned veteran, but it's a risk I don't see myself taking for quite some time.
I really want to play Pac-Man now, though. Any arcades around here?
Evan, first of all: http://www.thepcmanwebsite.com/media/pacman_flash/
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I'm glad that you reported on your experience with Kolb's gamification session; this was one of the ones that I wanted to attend! It seems like it'd be an interesting idea to somehow work with the Common Core Standards to create a few specific tracks that students could gain "experience points" from. I'd been looking for a way to (reluctantly) quantify the achievement of standards, and this seems like a good way to do it. I'm willing to bet that this could be easily integrated in a class routine where, each period, the students receive an opportunity to add points to their character's health (or whatever). Such opportunities could use simple rubrics (1-5) to determine how many exp. points students receive. Might be neat to combine badges with this idea if students are also creating a website/online portfolio of their work.
Regarding the problem of students comparing themselves to others: I think it might be a good idea to keep some information public to encourage the health and effort of the group, but students' exp. points should probably be kept private. None-tiered signifiers of achieving a given standard (such as a badge awarded to anyone with a number of exp. points higher than the cutoff for, say, the equivalent of a C-) could be a publicly shareable point of pride.
This is one I'll definitely be thinking about! Thank you for sharing.
Cheers,
Matt
Evan,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some great points about some of the possible drawbacks of gamification, although I think--as you seem to--at its core it is a terrific idea. You've probably realized that the real X-Factor with kids is motivation, so anything to fuel that is going to make everything else a lot easier. I'm curious to know if/how you might use gaming in the foreign language class.
As for your comments about the conference being a bit overwhelming, that's something you'll need to get used to. This is a lot of money to be made in Ed Tech, so your job is to find those spaces where you can gain free knowledge and then pitch your administrators when you see something you absolutely must have. Believe it or not, they're often much more gullible than the teachers when it comes to making big purchases.
As always, I enjoyed reading your perspective.