What is gamification?
Gamification (or gamification) is the use of game approaches for non-game processes. We see gamification tools in our favorite coffee shop when we collect stamps to get the sixth coffee as a gift. Game-based techniques motivate us to fill out our Facebook or LinkedIn profiles 100%.
Gamification helps to reach out to modern children who are used to playing computer games and communicating on social networks. It has long been successfully used in marketing and human resources management, but it is most valuable in education.
Game-based learning: why and how does it work?
Game-based methods have always been used in school education. Tests and exams, moving from class to class, final testing – all of these have elements of a game, but they are not always effective.
The problem is that classical educational methods often ignore a simple but infinitely significant fact: learning should bring joy, it can and should be interesting. This is the way the human brain works: when there is drive and positive emotions instead of boredom, information is better absorbed.
A good game addresses several needs of players:
– The need for autonomy – I choose whether to play or not, I choose what to play and how to succeed.
– The need for competence – I have figured it out and done it. I am a winner!
– need for recognition – I can share the result with friends and other users.
To meet these needs, you should
– offer a reward for each task – these can be points, badges, and any other “achievements” that have tangible or intangible value.
– Stimulate competition in a balanced way. Competition motivates many of us, but others, on the contrary, are afraid of comparison with others or a low position in the ranking.
– Provide for different types of interaction: each other, team against team, a team against the problem.
– Provide an opportunity to share results and achievements both in the game and outside of it (for example, on social networks or a board of honor in the classroom)
– provide quick feedback on correct and incorrect actions.
The most valuable potential of game-based learning lies in the fact that it helps learners see a task, topic, or model in context – as part of a system. Unlike memorization, rote learning, and quizzes, which are often criticized because they focus on individual facts, games force learners to see objects and phenomena in their connections. Any task becomes useful because it is part of a larger multi-system.
Adepts of game-based methods note that students are more deeply involved in the process and memorize the material better. Critics believe that games can harm intrinsic motivation – if there are no bonuses, there will be no motivation.
Discussions are ongoing, and we at GIOS have experience. When developing the Math and Critical Thinking course, we relied on classic game elements that can be easily reproduced in any school classroom:
Points that a student earns for each task on the platform. They can show progress in learning, and place in the overall rating. Points work, but to a certain extent. It is better to combine them with the following two elements.
Badges. A more meaningful version of points. This can be a new title (for example, “conqueror of nonlinear equations”), or an asterisk (received for completing some extra task). The advantage of a badge is that it becomes a sign of status and reputation.
Ratings. This is an effective, but difficult tool, so in GIOS, it is optional – at the request of a student, teacher, or parent. Competition significantly motivates some people and irrevocably demotivates others. However, the world is ruled by competition, and by teaching children to compete with dignity and efficiency, we prepare them for adulthood.
After six months of the platform’s operation in test mode, two theories have been confirmed:
- The main advantage of game methods is the attitude to mistakes. At school, mistakes are always punished, but teachers rarely praise correct answers or solutions. Fixation of mistakes leads to the fact that students concentrate more on grades than on actual knowledge.
In computer games, on the contrary, mistakes are welcomed and are the main tool for success. Take the game Angry Birds, which everyone has played at least once. It demonstrates how with each failure, the player tries new options to successfully achieve the goal of killing pigs. While playing, we know that there is nothing wrong with failure – the sooner we do something wrong, the sooner we can find the right solution.
- Games are one of the ways to motivate, but they are not a universal tool, not a panacea. Gamification will not work without high-quality educational content.
