Gamification
Educators can learn a great
deal from the science of games. Children learn at an early age through
playing different games. In fact many of these games are games that they
made up themselves. The benefits of playing games extends beyond learning
to the wellbeing of students. Play relieves stress, improves brain
function, stimulates the mind and boosts creativity, improves relationships,
and energizes.
Gamification
What is gamification? Gamification does
not mean reducing learning to simplistic tasks or creating a game. It
means making learning more fun and engaging while preserving the credibility of
the lesson (Muntean, 2011).
Gamification v.
Classroom Instruction (typical)
Elements
|
Instruction
|
Gamification
|
Set achievable goals within participant’s zone
of proximal development.
|
X
|
X
|
Sequential graduation of difficulty
|
X
|
X
|
Generalization of skills
|
X
|
X
|
Engage students to learn
|
X
|
X
|
Anticipatory Set
|
X
|
X
|
Frequent checks for progress and understanding
|
X
|
X
|
Provide models
|
X
|
X
|
Guided Practice
|
X
|
X
|
Independent Practice
|
X
|
X
|
Utilizes social learning and collaboration
|
X
|
X
|
Consequences for not getting the right answer
the first time
|
X
|
|
Allows multiple attempts until the learner
solves the problem
|
X
|
|
Provides immediate feedback (a condition of
flow)
|
X
|
|
Requires mastery of topic before moving on
|
X
|
|
Students earn points to achieve different
levels of mastery
|
X
|
|
Students provided with intrinsic and tangible
rewards as the learn
|
sometimes
|
X
|
Related Topics:
Video Games
Video games has been shown to significantly
improve a variety of metal abilities including reasoning, mental rotation,
spatial attention, memory, reasoning, and reaction time (McLaughlin, Gandy,
Allaire, & Whitlock, 2012). However, there have also been
numerous studies that indicate that videos games can have a detrimental effect
as well. Addictive behavior towards games, loss of
educational time, increase in ADHD behaviors, tie away from other activities
such as education or physical activity, and increased anti-social behaviors
have all been associated with extensive video game playing Bavelier, Green,
Han, Renshaw, Merzenich, & Gentile, 2011).
The Effect of Play on Health
Individuals from low SES environments tend to
suffer from higher a higher allostatic load or the amounts of biological
repercussions associated with stress resulting from the release of stress
mediators such as cortisol (McEwen & Seeman, 2009). Over time the release of
stress mediators can accumulate and have negative effects of various organs
leading to diseases (McEwen & Seeman, 2009). A study of 1207 found
that adults with a childhood history of low SES who engage in shift-and-persist
strategies had lower allostatic loads (Chen, Miller, Lachman, Gruenewald, &
Seeman, 2012). Playing games involves the skills of reforming a problem
and persisting until mastery is accomplished.
By Rob Koch
References
Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., Han, D. H., Renshaw, P. F., Merzenich, M. M., & Gentile, D. A. (2011). Brains on
video games. Nature Reviews Neuroscience,12(12), 763-768.
Chen, E., Miller, G. E., Lachman, M. E., Gruenewald, T. L., & Seeman, T. E. (2012). Protective factors for adults
from low-childhood socioeconomic circumstances: The benefits of shift-and-persist for allostatic
load.Psychosomatic Medicine, 74(2), 178-186.
Deterding, Sebastian (2011). Meaningful Play: Getting>>Gamification right [Slideshare Slides]. Retrieved
from http://www.slideshare.net/dings/meaningful-play-getting-gamification-right
Muntean, C. I. (2011, October). Raising engagement in e-learning through gamification. In Proc. 6th International
Conference on Virtual Learning ICVL (pp. 323-329). Retreived from http://icvl.eu/2011/disc/icvl/
documente/pdf/met/ICVL_ModelsAndMethodologies_paper42.pdf
McEwen, B., & Seeman, T. (2009). Allostatic load and allostasis. In Allostatic load notebook. Retrieved
from http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/research/allostatic/allostatic.php
Chen, E., Miller, G. E., Lachman, M. E., Gruenewald, T. L., & Seeman, T. E. (2012). Protective factors for adults from
low-childhood socioeconomic circumstances: The benefits of shift-and-persist for allostatic
load.Psychosomatic Medicine, 74(2), 178-186.
low-childhood socioeconomic circumstances: The benefits of shift-and-persist for allostatic
load.Psychosomatic Medicine, 74(2), 178-186.
