Gamified learning activities can engage students very quickly, but these strategies don’t engender the lasting motivation for learning that most teachers are looking for, Higgin said. Because gamification is extrinsically motivated, students can tire quickly as the rewards become less and less appealing over time, he said.
“I think what teachers are ultimately looking for is to see students drive their own learning and dig deeper into topics,” which is difficult to do with fun activities that promote quick rewards for achievement simple tasks, Higgin said.
There is quite a distinction between gamification and game-based learning in terms of results and execution. Game-based learning is useful for teachers and students when used to broaden understanding and build creative, critical thinking and communication skills, Higgin said. But, like most educational practices, game-based learning requires a lot of preparation.
“Game-based learning works well for any content area or topic if, educationally, you focus on skill development and conceptual understanding of the material,” he said.
Game-based learning in the classroom
Educational gaming platforms like Filament Games align content with learning objectives and require thinking skills, Higgin said. For the most effective games, “the very mechanics of the game teach you valuable skills that can be applied in the classroom and that align with teachers’ goals,” Higgin said.
Joe Dillon, teacher and multi-content instructional coach, was an early adopter of digital game-based learning and has used Minecraft: Education Edition in the classroom.
Dillon first became interested in using digital games in text form almost two decades ago and was already familiar with game-based learning. He began exploring digital games and developed social studies units where students write their own version of adventure-based games. Dillon began using Minecraft: Education Edition during workshops that helped students develop community-building skills. Dillon went on to help design English games, 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 is commonly used by math teachers to practice applications of probability and decision-making, Higgin said. He encouraged teachers to ask students about the games they are interested in and have access to, in order to promote learning through games.
But learning through play is easier said than done.
Dillon spent countless hours using Minecraft before he was able to present it to a class with specific and effective learning objectives. According to Garcia, teachers and schools need to engage in a pedagogical approach in order to embrace game-based learning. “Game-based learning involves adapting existing games,” often with the goal of developing soft skills such as collaboration, teamwork and leadership, he said. Game-based learning can also serve as a means of exposing content through gameplay.
Garcia cautioned against learning through play when a teacher is not properly prepared. Some games also include historical simulations which Garcia says can present “unintended dangers when it comes to thinking about empathy and issues of gender, race and cultural politics”, particularly if they reproduce “particular types of “harmful legacies throughout our history”.
There is a time and place for game-based learning, and it should not be used for every classroom learning opportunity. “I don’t necessarily think you can use a game to replace literature or particular forms of writing and communication,” Garcia said.
Balancing game-based learning and gamification
Although there is some skepticism about gamification, it’s not all bad. “I think teachers, when they act as designers, can embrace the principles of gamification and achieve great things,” Dillon said. It’s important to accept a teacher’s own gaming ability, Garcia said, and suggested that teachers guide students in metacognitive thinking about gamification activities. Teachers can talk with students about how “these types of game systems shape practices in classrooms,” Garcia said. “When you allow kids to explicitly see what schools expect of them, you get some really powerful conversations where a lot of things are learned that aren’t necessarily the stated outcome of these gamification tools,” Garcia continued .
Although teachers and students may have different opinions and responses towards gamification and game-based learning, gamification can sometimes lack connection to the material being encouraged. If resources and time are limited, as is the case for most teachers, there are ways to incorporate the principles of game-based learning without doing a complete overhaul of existing lessons and curriculum.
“What teachers can do instead is look for ways to give students more meaningful choices about what they do,” Higgin said. When teachers find “ways to connect students’ curiosity or unique interests to content,” the educational approach of game-based learning begins to emerge.
