Keeping students engaged and motivated, especially in an online setting, can often feel like solving a complex puzzle. Have you ever experienced those moments with students’ disinterested faces and a lack of participation, asking yourself, “How can I make learning more exciting for my students? ”
And the answer is gamification! With the gamification approach, you can turn your lessons into fun adventures where students become active participants - explorers on a quest, solving challenges and earning rewards. Can students be bored in class afterwards, huh?
The thing is that gamification activates the natural human desire for fun, competition, and achievement, which makes their learning a whole thrilling experience.
Applying gamification is not about just playing games in class; in fact, it is an educational approach with its own key elements. Karl Kapp (2012) defined it in the following way: "Gamification is using game-based mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems." Simply put, gamification means using elements from games, such as scoring points, completing challenges, and earning rewards, to make learning more engaging.
If you are still not sure that gamification is an effective method to use in class, here is some proof: Research by Gabe Zichermann shows that gamification can improve students' ability to learn new skills by 40%! Plus, today’s students are digital natives who grew up surrounded by technology, so gamification fits perfectly with how they learn and keeps them interested in lessons.
After we have covered what gamification is and why it is beneficial for students, let’s break down each gamification element with examples of how it can be applied in the classroom:
Challenges for students are a great way to kill monotony and spark curiosity in class. Create your lessons as missions where students have to solve problems or complete tasks.
For example, in a science class, instead of just asking students to read a chapter on the water cycle, set up a challenge like "Mission: Save the Planet!" where they need to collect information from the chapter to help "solve" an environmental crisis. Students could earn "points" for every correct piece of information they find, and the first team to complete the challenge "saves the planet."
See how, with your creativity and challenges for students, you can turn a usual science lesson into the whole “solving the planet” mission!
You might be familiar with points, as you have already assessed students’ work and used some points methods. Points in gamification are also a way to evaluate students’ work but, again, in a more creative way. On top of that, earning points and competing can motivate students more than just getting a usual grade.
For instance, in English class, you could give points to students for different tasks, like writing a well-thought-out paragraph or contributing to a class discussion. You could create a point system where students need a certain number of points to "level up" to the next writing challenge or unlock extra credit opportunities.
Think of levels as “checkpoints” where students level up after mastering a topic. In history class, you could create levels that correspond to different periods in history. For example, "Level 1: Ancient Civilizations," "Level 2: The Middle Ages," and so on. Students must complete specific tasks or quizzes before advancing to the next "level."
Next to “levels”, there is another gamification element - leaderboards. These introduce friendly competition by ranking students based on their performance. Leaderboards have unique benefits for use in class. First, they create a sense of community among students by adding this “competition” element. Second, they motivate students to strive for their best. But when incorporating leaderboards in the classroom, be mindful of students’s feelings and try to create a friendly, competitive environment in which every student feels included and valued.
In a science class, you could introduce a leaderboard for group projects. Each team could earn points based on the creativity, accuracy, and depth of their project. The leaderboards can show which teams are doing well, creating a healthy sense of competition. Again, as a reminder, keep in mind to highlight different aspects of learning, such as teamwork and problem-solving, to make everyone feel included.
A lesson can be full of facts and theories, but it can also be a story with an interesting plot! So, gamification implies that teachers create a narrative around the content, which makes their students want to hear more in the next lesson.
In a literature class, instead of simply discussing a novel, turn it into an interactive story where students are "characters" in the novel. They could make decisions for the characters or predict what will happen next.
Or, in history, you could create a role-playing game where students take on the roles of historical figures during a particular event. For example, if you’re studying the French Revolution, assign students different roles, such as a revolutionary leader, a member of the royal family, or a common citizen, and have them "interact" based on what they learn about the historical context. Sounds fun, right? I am sure students will want to learn history more with this approach!
Rewards and gifts serve to keep students motivated, but you’ll ask me, “What’s the difference between those two?” Let me explain:
Rewards are predictable by students and could include things like certificates for completing a set of lessons or badges for mastering a skill. For example, in a math class, students could earn "Math Master" badges for completing a set of problems correctly and consistently.
Gifts are surprises that keep students excited. For example, in a language arts class, you could offer "extra time" as a gift for completing homework early or offer a surprise bonus point for a job well done. Another gift might be "hints" during a quiz or "bonus content", such as a fun video or reading related to the topic, helping students feel appreciated and encouraged.
By integrating gamification into your teaching, you can transform classrooms into dynamic, interactive spaces where students actively engage, learn, and thrive. So why not give it a try? Your students might just surprise you with their newfound enthusiasm for learning.
And Redmenta can help with that! Redmenta’s AI Assistant Hub contains ready-to-use AI assistants to create worksheets with gamified challenges. Go to Redmenta’s AI Assistant Hub and check it yourself in the “Gamified learning” category, where you can find various assistants such as Escape Room Challenges, Treasure Hunt Quests, or different role-playing adventures to create fun and engaging gamifies worksheets in just a minute!
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