In today’s educational world, engaging students, encouraging a deeper level of critical thinking, and fostering a love for learning are more important than ever. One effective way to achieve this is through gamification in the classroom. By integrating games and game elements into learning experiences, teachers can increase students’ motivation and engagement levels by making learning an exciting journey rather than a chore and something that has to be done.
How Gamifying Your Classroom Can Help
Engagement and Motivation
- When students are actively involved in their learning, they become more invested in their educational experience and willing to learn. This can be done by gamifying the classroom. As noted by Matera & Meehan, “When a person is captivated, they don’t need to be held captive” (p. 45). This happens when learning is intriguing and enjoyable, students are more likely to embrace the objectives set before them. In my experience teaching students at different levels, I’ve seen how crucial it is to keep the material personalized and challenging. Gamification transforms everyday tasks into stimulating activities that promote engagement and improve knowledge retention, ultimately decreasing disruptive behaviors. Check out this link to learn more about the benefits of gamification for teachers and students
Emphasizing Student Choice
- Each classroom and child is different; there are no two students the same, and no two classrooms the same, so why expect all students to learn in the exact same way? Well, gamifying the classroom can allow students to make choices and personalize their learning. This is done through choice boards, collaborative teamwork, games, and even songs, giving students a voice in how they want to get assignments/tasks done. The video, 4 Ways to Gamify Your Classroom, stated that games allow students to choose their own path. Students might not all choose the same path, which is fine because they are taking their learning into their own hands. Some students may be accelerated proficient or even basic, they all are working towards the same goal, but at different paces. This ability to make choices gives students a voice, encouraging them to take charge of their educational journeys.
- Want to learn more about the Benefits of gamification in the classroom?
TCE Thresholds
Both teachers/students have empowerment/agency:
- Gaming allows our students to express themselves while taking charge of their learning and making them feel empowered. Choice in the classroom empowers all students, no matter their education level, by allowing them to take control of their learning process. This also allows students to feel more motivated to work and work at a deeper level. Gamification provides many choices for teachers and students, from what they choose and what achievements they aim for. Gaming encourages students to explore their curiosity, ask questions, and tackle challenges they might not have been willing to face otherwise. Additionally, gamification provides a healthy balance of technology in the classroom.
Teaching & Learning Honors People’s Full Humanity:
- Gamifying in the classroom has a personalized aspect that is very important to the classroom and the inclusive environment it creates. This allows students to feel they have a choice and a voice in the classroom. Having a voice in the classroom allows students to feel empowered that what they have to say matters. Gamifying the classroom recognizes and values students’ choices, interests, and factors in the diverse learning styles of all while learning. The games can be personalized to their individual level and the skills they are working on need to be grown.
Blooket in Third-Grade Math
This week, I used the game Blooket. Blooket is similar to Kahoot in that it has multiple-choice questions and an interactive game but has many more parts. It combines gamification elements with educational content, enabling students to review and reinforce their knowledge in a fun and competitive way. Blooket is versatile. There can be individual, more self-led, or team play, where the players work with a small group. You can choose different themes that focus on different skills, such as speed, accuracy, or strategy. Teachers can customize questions to fit their specific curriculum needs. Blooket helps increase student engagement and motivation by fostering a game-like atmosphere and facilitating deeper learning through active participation.
I enjoyed trying something new with class this week. With Blooket, I used the theme crypto hack to review three-digit subtraction and multiplication facts for their sprint. My students were excited that they did not have to use paper and pencil for their review or sprint. I gave them seven minutes to work on. This theme involved memory and accuracy as their skill. It started great and eventually failed. My students hated the crypto hack; they thought it was very challenging, and they were unmotivated. I changed it to a Factory theme, where they got to “glitch” other computers. I again gave them seven minutes to complete the game. Changing the theme was the best choice I made, and once it was over, they asked to play it again for an even longer time. I will use Blooket again because my students have never been more engaged. I will use the Factory or Cafe themes again. I do think 7 minutes is a perfect amount of time.
Pro
- All students were engaged
- Many themes to choose from
- Changing leadership board
- Student choice
- Healthy competition
- Many decks of cards
Want to learn more about Blooket? Here is a Blog post for teachers who want to try it out in their classroom. Blooket a Teachers Guide
Cons
- There are many themes to choose from: trial and error
- Multiple choice, students had a 25% of getting the correct answer without solving the problem
- If you don’t pick a large deck of cards, students memorize the problems.
I love using bloomer and totally second the trial and error aspect of it. Of my five classes each one of them has a different game mode they prefer. They are sure to let me know when I choose the wrong one! One of the nice things about bloomer as well is that they add new game modes every so often. Variety is the spice of life!
I agree that each class prefers a different game than the other. I tried different modes with my afternoon class and had to sell them on trying a different mode after they played one round.
Hi Rachel, my students LOVE blooket (although they are partial to gold quest) so much so that I had to shut it down a few weeks ago because the competition got a little TOO fierce, so I think it’s great that you tried it out! My main frustration with blooket is that students often turn to memorization, they learn the questions posed and just try to memorize the answers to go as quickly as possible. Did you notice any students doing this as well? Or do you have any thoughts on how to combat this? I don’t want to lose this as a review material because my students get so engaged but I am worried that they are not studying or reviewing effectively.
Hi! I selected a large deck of about 40 questions, which minimized the need for students to memorize answers. I believe only a few students might have thought to memorize, as they were primarily focused on maximizing their earnings. If we continue this approach, I may need to address this issue in the future.
Hi there,
I help co-teach in a class that also uses Blooket and it is always fun for the students. I do not work with third grade students, so take this with a grain of salt, but I could see doing each setting to see who is “the number 1 player on Cafe mode”, but with each mode there is. If third grade students have that attention span or not is up to you, but I hope this helps!
Thank you for your insights! I think their attention span won’t be too big of an issue because they love playing on the computer and doing something other than “traditional” work. I am interested in seeing if the number 1 player changes by each mode. I will try this out.