Gamified learning activities can engage students very quickly, but these strategies do not create lasting motivation to learn which most teachers are looking for, Higgin said. Because gamification is externally motivatedstudents can tire quickly because rewards become less attractive over time, he said.
“I think what teachers are ultimately looking for is to see students manage their own learning and really dig into the subjects,” which is difficult to do with gamified activities that encourage quick rewards for easy task completion , Higgin said.
There is quite a difference between gamification and game-based learning in terms of outcome and performance. Game-based learning is useful for teachers and students when used to expand understanding and gain creative, critical thinking and communication skills, Higgin said. But like most pedagogical practices, learning through games requires a lot of preparation.
“Game-based learning works well for any content area or subject if you’re pedagogically focused on building skills and conceptual understanding of the material,” he said.
Game-based learning in the classroom
Educational gaming platforms such as Thread games align content with learning objectives and require thinking skills, Higgin said. For the most effective games, “the mechanics of the game itself teach you valuable skills that are transferable to the classroom and that are aligned with teachers’ goals,” Higgin said.
Joe Dillon, a cross-content teacher and instructional coach, was an early adopter of digital game-based learning and used Minecraft: Education Edition in the classroom.
Dylan first became interested in using digital games as texts almost two decades ago and was already familiar with game-based learning. He started to explore digital gamesand developed social studies modules where students would write their own versions of adventure-based games. Dylan began using Minecraft: Education Edition during workshops that helped students develop community-building skills. Dylan went on to help design games for English and the arts, and students at his current school have access to Minecraft: Education Edition.
Game-based learning doesn’t have to be digital. According to Higgin, teachers have had success using existing board games. For example, the board game Settlers of Catan it’s typically used by math teachers to practice applications of probability and decision making, Higgin said. He encouraged teachers to ask students about games they are interested in and have access to in order to stimulate game-based learning.
But game-based learning is easier said than done.
Dylan logged countless hours using Minecraft before he was able to bring it into a classroom with specific and effective learning objectives. According to Garcia, teachers and schools must commit to a pedagogical approach to embrace game-based learning. “Game-based learning is about adapting existing games” often to develop soft skills such as collaboration, teamwork and leadership, he said. Game-based learning can also serve as a means of exposing content through play.
Garcia cautioned against game-based learning when the teacher has not properly prepared. Some games also include historical simulations, which Garcia says can present unforeseen “dangers around thinking about empathy and issues of gender, race, and cultural politics,” especially if they reproduce “particular kinds of harmful legacies in our history.”
There is a time and place for game-based learning, and it should not be used for every single learning opportunity in classrooms. “I don’t necessarily think you can use a game to replace literature or certain forms of writing and communication,” Garcia said.
Balancing game-based learning and gamification
While there is some skepticism surrounding gamification, it’s not all bad. “I think that teachers, when they act as designers, can take the principles of gamification and do great things,” Dillon said. Perceiving a teacher’s own ability to play is important, Garcia said, and suggested that teachers guide students in meta-cognitive thinking about gamification activities. Teachers can discuss with students some of the ways in which “these types of game systems shape practices in (the) classrooms,” Garcia said. “When you let kids see specifically what schools expect of them, you get really powerful conversations where a lot of things are learned that might not necessarily be the advertised results of these gamification tools,” Garcia continued.
Although teachers and students may have different opinions and responses to gamification and game-based learning, sometimes gamification may be unrelated to the material being stimulated. If resources and time are limited, as most teachers are, there are ways to incorporate the principles of game-based learning without completely overhauling existing lessons and curricula.
“What teachers can do instead is look for ways to give students more meaningful (choices) over what they’re doing,” Higgin said. When teachers find “ways to connect students’ curiosity or unique interests to the content,” the pedagogical approach of game-based learning begins to emerge.
