Blog Post #5
Think about the games you currently incorporate into your classes. Do these primarily fall into the category of gamification or pointification? Describe a game you could incorporate into your classes that would be true gamification.
Think about the games you currently incorporate into your classes. Do these primarily fall into the category of gamification or pointification? Describe a game you could incorporate into your classes that would be true gamification.
As an elementary school we use pointification. Students earn tokens for any behavior that is kind, safe, respectful and responsible. Once the token jar is filled to a certain line, we have a school wide celebration. I don't view this as a bad thing, but as the students get older it is my hope that they continue to exhibit these behaviors without being rewarded. I believe my team is somewhat using gamification at the end of units when we do games like Kahoot or Jeopardy to study for tests. We also have a unit in our curriculum where students are put into teams, given directions and then told to invent something, all while the game show host (me) provides twists and turns. They really love this unit as it is fun, creative and they really don't view it as learning!
ReplyDeleteMost of the “games” I currently incorporate in class probably fall more into pointification than true gamification. A lot of my games still rely on earning points, competing for rewards, getting the highest score, or finishing first. Those activities can be fun and motivating, but they often reward speed and completion more than deep thinking. I have actually tried to participate in my online Blookets with students and find that because I am not a quick reader that it can take me a minute to answer the questions and therefore my score drops because I cannot answer as quickly, and I already know the content! I actually went online and looked up different ideas for better games to try and I think I have an idea for a cool puzzle that has students answering questions about kinetic and potential energy. I am going to try putting it together in time to try in the next few days!
ReplyDeleteThink about the games you currently incorporate into your classes. Do these primarily fall into the category of gamification or pointification? Describe a game you could incorporate into your classes that would be true gamification.
ReplyDeleteAs a school, if we see students following our PAWS expectations (Positive, Accountable, Wise, Safe), they get a PAWS slip. As a school, we have a PAWS slip goal, if we reach that goal, we get a school wide reward. With this implementation, my school is use pointification.
In my classroom, to end a math unit or if we have extra time, we will play a Blooket game reviewing the math concepts that we are working on. Students do it independently on their iPads.
When I taught preschool last year I would incorporate the Bee Alert, match my wings, the color Huey, share a berry, and go fish. I feel like the use of play and games can be educational, too. I usually do more with board games than electronics.
ReplyDeleteWith my older kids like to pull out games like the math room, cloverleap, spell trek, whirly’s world, Farm Life, and zone to zone. I feel that since I pull them out at random and also when they match the skill we are practicing or needing to cover it is gamification. Yet they are all board games.
I would like to incorporate more gamification in my classroom with my different students. A thought I am working with is my older student who will be a freshman next year is very interested in robotics and loves building with Legos. I am trying to work on creating a gamification way of teaching it.
Yes, we play many games that are competitive like Quizlet All Plays and Jeopardy and Kahoot. They are reviewing the content and the competition with peers keeps them into it. When the students get to make the games, that seems more successful. For The Lord of the Flies, we make a survival human board game. Each group must come up with a homemade game piece that reflects a symbol from the book (allegory). Each group comes up with either a physical challenge or a moral dilemma challenge or story trivia, etc. These are the game spaces. We spend two days playing it with the class and they love it. I think it works because they came up with the challenges and the questions. They made the rules. I am always surprised how "fair" they become and critically think through the challenges. They love it. It has clear goals, feedback comes from trial and error, and it isn't too hard, or too easy -- it has flow. Plus, the autonomy and choice, they like. I am always impressed. I find when they can create Escape Rooms and Scavenger Hunts that relate to the curriculum, they immerse themselves into the curriculum without them even realizing it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we do much more pointsification than gamification. We are tracking good behavior, books read, etc. In middle school my son was asked to create a board game about the book that he read. This form of gamification was a great tool for him to give his book report, recall events in order and it was a try and try again basis verses a points game. This game was the spark that lit his creativity and gave him the confidence to present his knowledge through the game. Until I read this chapter, I had forgotten how successful this project was and how it made him want to read another book and approach the next project in this way. This is something I think I should try with my intervention groups.
ReplyDeleteI do both gamification and pointification in my classroom, but more pointification overall.
ReplyDeletePointification: Jeopardy ( winner is the one with the most points, they get candy), Blooket (top three winners get candy)
Gamification: What do You Meme. I have judges - they choose their "favorite" meme for each round. This has a little more creativity, as the meme can be smart, witty, funny, serious etc... This game ends up turning into pointification at the end, because the team with the most points wins , and gets candy.
Creative Gamification idea: Create a book, comic or board game based on a mental illness and the symptoms that go along with it.
Most of the games I incorporate in my classroom are closer to true gamification rather than pointification. I do not typically use points, rewards, or competition with my students. The only simple reward-type game we sometimes use is “sneaking.” For example, when we walk in the hallway, we pretend we are sneaking to the library and try to move quietly without making noise. This helps students practice self-regulation in a fun way. Most of our games are play-based learning experiences. For example, we might play dentist office to practice brushing teeth and oral hygiene, or bakery where students practice counting, sorting, and early reading skills while pretending to run a shop. In these activities, students take on roles, solve problems, and practice real-life skills within a playful scenario. These types of activities are true gamification because learning is embedded in the experience rather than tied to points or rewards. The game itself becomes the learning environment where students practice academic, social, and life skills in a meaningful and engaging way.
ReplyDeleteIn my first grade classroom, many of the games I currently use would fall more into gamification, but some also include elements of pointification when students are mostly earning stickers, points, or rewards for completing tasks. While rewards can be motivating, I try to focus more on games that build engagement and learning rather than just earning points.
ReplyDeleteOne example of true gamification I could use is a “Reading Adventure Quest.” In this game, students become “reading explorers” who travel through different story worlds. Each time they read a book or practice a skill (like identifying characters, setting, or beginning sounds), they complete a mission on their map. Instead of just earning points, students unlock new story chapters, collect clues, and solve simple challenges related to the books they read.
For example, after reading a short story, students might have to find the “hidden problem” in the story or match characters to their actions. As they progress, the story continues, and their choices help move the adventure forward.
This would be true gamification because students are not just working for rewards—they are actively involved in a storyline where learning tasks are part of the game itself.
Most of the games I currently use in my class involve some sort of physical play in addition to the actual game. A favorite of the students' involves throwing a foam ball around while a song plays. Whoever has the ball when I stop the song has a language task to perform that depends on what it is we are learning (i.e. conjugating a verb, asking a question, saying something, etc.) There are really no points involved in any of the games we play except when the class divides into teams. Those games are usually unneccessarily competitive and don't result in as much learning, which makes sense after having explored the ideas of gamification vs. pointification. I am always seeking ways to increase the intrinsic motivation of students rather than the extrinsic. Perhaps instead of points when the class separates into teams, they could be working toward unlocking something fun (i.e. a music video in French, some fun French slang, etc.)
ReplyDeleteThink about the games you currently incorporate into your classes. Do these primarily fall into the category of gamification or pointification? Describe a game you could incorporate into your classes that would be true gamification.
ReplyDeleteThe games that I currently use in my class most definitely fall into the category of pontification. A game that i could incorporate in my classroom that would be a true gamification game in thinking in terms of Health class - maybe we could relate it more the game of "survivor" based on good and bad choices made throughout the various health units. So an on-going game that span the course of the semester with that out last, out whit, out live the rest of your classmates - not based on points, but true understanding within each health unit.
My 3rd grade gifted students have been reading the Percy Jackson series of books by Rick Riordan. While reading the first book in the series, the students slowly begin to find out who the Greek gods and goddesses were. When we get to a certain section in the book, I always stop and we do a worksheet and then a Google slides presentation on the gods and goddesses: who they were related to, who were their children, what were they the god or goddess of, what were their symbols, etc. I have always wanted the students to draw or create the individual god/goddess cabins at Camp Half Blood. The reward for completing the google slides presentation will be that they can choose which cabin they want to create and decorate for their god/goddess. We can then display them for the other students to see.
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