The first module of my class, Leading Change: Go Beyond Gamification with Gameful Learning, covered the 10 Principles of Gameful Learning. Essentially, the ten principles explain what video games have taught us about learning, and how we can apply these principles in schools to increase student engagement. Here are the 10 principles and my reflections on each one:
- Clear Learning Goals
- Identity Play
- Embedded Assessment
- Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
- Support Autonomy
- Encouraging Belonging
- Support Competence
- Productive Failure
- Encourage Exploration
- Practice and Reinforcement
1. Clear Learning Goals
Imagine pressing "start" on a new game without knowing the goal of the game. You'd be questioning where you're supposed to go, what you're supposed to do, and whether this game is even something that interests you as a player. Clear goals are necessary for both gaming and education. Students need to know the goals of the class or lesson, otherwise, all efforts are meaningless. Like students in a classroom without clear goals, a player could end up wandering in circles, weaponless, for hours, not having a clue that they are supposed to find their sword inside of a hidden castle. Without the sword, the player cannot advance. In the same way, without the tools that they need to succeed, a student cannot meet educational goals.2. Identity Play
When playing a game, even the game of school, there are three identities at play. All three identities need to be in harmony. First, there is a player. Second, there is a character within the game. Third, there is a combination of the player and the character. This can explain why a person feels upset when their character dies in a game. They might feel like they have let their character down. This melding of identities can serve as a motivator for some students.
3. Embedded Assessment
Games also do a great job of constantly giving the player feedback. Every time Mario collects a coin, there is a distinctive jingle. Every time a player catches a Pokemon, there is a distinctive jingle. Feedback in a classroom should be just like this in a sense; it should be as immediate as possible. Learners thrive on knowing what they have done right, as well as knowing the specifics about what they have to work on to improve their performance.4. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
The teachers of the course make it clear that intrinsic motivation (motivation that comes from inside of a person) is not necessarily better than extrinsic motivation (motivation that comes from rewards outside of a person). As teachers, we are told that too much extrinsic motivation can be a bad thing. This might be true, but in small doses, extrinsic motivation can be beneficial. Not every student will be intrinsically motivated to learn certain subjects. This is where extrinsic motivation comes in. Extrinsic motivation is used to encourage the development of intrinsic motivation. For example, a student that simply does not understand a math problem might think that it is meaningless and will not attempt to complete it. If the student is promised a cupcake if they can finish it correctly, they might be more likely to complete the task, even though this is extrinsic motivation. Once they complete the task and earn the cupcake, the teacher can build on their success by praising their perseverance and increased abilities. This might make the student more confident in their ability, and therefore more intrinsically motivated in the future.5. Support Autonomy
In order to be properly motivated, students require choice. Understandably, there is not always room for choices, but almost everything that learners are required to do in school allows a reasonable opportunity for choice. Teachers must be careful to not leave all choices completely open-ended though; teachers should provide a small number of meaningful choices that will help students reach their educational goals but will also allow students to choose tasks that suit them individually as a learner.6. Encouraging Belonging
Students should know that the teacher is there to help them reach their educational goals, not to punish them for missing problems on the homework. Creating a sense of safety within the classroom can help students feel at ease and can encourage risk-taking. Many games capitalize on a sense of belonging, such as online games. If a player feels isolated, they are likely to stop playing the game. This also applies to school. Encouraging belonging can be accomplished by team-building, giving feedback to students so they know that their teacher supports them, and by offering opportunities for peer feedback.7. Support Competence
This principle is, in my opinion, one of the most important. Students need to remain in the "Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)." This is the zone where a student is adequately challenged. It can be difficult for a teacher to keep track of exactly where each of his or her 200+ students lie on a scale of mastery in each standard, but this is where student choice is helpful. Students will choose tasks that put them in the ZPD. Many pessimistic teachers might say that students will choose the easiest path, but more often than not, this is not the case, especially if you have game mechanics running in your classroom. If students choose the easy path, they will be bored. If the teacher makes engaging content or provides other incentives for students to try a challenge (or by not allowing students to slack off and watch YouTube videos), the students will choose a more challenging task. If students are challenged too much, they might become frustrated. This is where the teacher steps in to help provide the steps necessary for the student to succeed. In general, if teachers show that they are on the side of their students, students will be more comfortable taking a risk and challenging themselves.8. Productive Failure
Many high-achieving students have NEVER FAILED. This is unproductive and can only set these students up for anxiety in their futures. We teachers need to provide students with opportunities to fail. We need to lower the risk of failure and encourage students to take risks. In video games, if the character dies, they return to the beginning of the level or a save spot and have a chance to try again. It isn't game over the first time that a character dies in a game. It also shouldn't be game over in our classrooms. In addition to helping students learn that failure is just another step on the road to success, we need to provide specific feedback that will help students succeed.9. Encourage Exploration
Many gamers enjoy exploring each part of a level on their video game. There is always a possibility of finding easter eggs, and this is an exciting prospect for many players. We can also make exploration an exciting possibility for our students. For example, using lectures to provide students with all of the information that they need for the test is an easy way to trudge through class content, but there is no room for exploration. Provide students with a research question and see what they can come up with, or have them write their own research questions. Exploration is a great way for students to look into topics that pique their interest.10. Practice and Reinforcement
Just like in a video game, practice improves a person's abilities. All learning activities and assignments should have the same goal; to improve abilities. All practice should be meaningful and should be scaffolded at first. Giving students an assignment to take home without the ability to consult a teacher can be a disaster if the students haven't practice the skill before. We teachers have to be cognizant of that and make sure that our student activities match their skill levels and provide a bit of a challenge. Such practice should also be reinforced with timely feedback.
Conclusion
In general, this module of the class was a great place to start. I can already see some principles that I have been neglecting, and some things that I need to work on. For example, I teach to the average a lot and don't offer a lot of opportunities for challenges. This will be my main focus moving on; differentiation is a way to help students who need more assistance to meet learning goals, but it should also provide an opportunity for high achievers to be challenged.
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