The Game of Balance

  How do we motivate unmotivated students to participate and learn in a classroom? To show up? Clean up? Do their best? Many times, we gamify a desired behavior to increase its appeal. This might look like playing music while students race a timer to clean up a room. (Mine have an ardent love-hate relationship with this one.) Or by playing a Kahoot or Jeopardy to help students engage in review material. Using game-like elements in non-game settings is a good way to define this kind of teaching hack, and studies show that it does have some positive benefits on student motivation, though it is limited. 

Another game-like way to encourage student’s participation is through Game-based Learning. This kind of learning more closely parallels real-world situations through online simulation – think games like “The Oregon Trail” or “SimCitiyEDU.” Studies show a higher level of content mastery through immersive games like these. 

I was fascinated by our stimulus material for this module. The way Jane McGonical described gamers as such optimistic, positive people who are really, really good at something felt inspiring; and the way that Megan Ellis gamified her entire classroom to support the acquisition of soft study skills and promote autonomic learning blew my mind. (I was especially gobsmacked by the fact that she streamlined it so well that it sounded like it only took about 30 minutes per week to input all the data and level-up in class per week.) 

Using games in the classroom can definitely benefit student learning when used well. We’ve known for a long time that children learn best through play, and the definition of “play” has shifted as we have moved into the 21st century. 

I think games should be implemented when they increase enjoyment and buy in, but I don’t think that teachers should feel pressured to make everything into a game. We also want to teach our students to be intrinsically motivated, and, along with that, motivated because of who they are and Whose they are. I want my students to show up, do their best, and become someone great because they know that they are created in the image of God with specific purpose and unlimited potential. I want my students to understand that the growth of their minds is of utmost importance because that’s the way God communicates with them and that’s the way Satan distracts them. I want my students firmly grounded in reality and inspired by the many great people who have come before them–as well as inspired to beat their best typing speed.