The world of gaming has grown exponentially over the last 30 years. However, it hasn't found its way into the mainstream world of education just yet. Slowly, more teachers are looking to integrate the idea of gaming into their teaching practice. I am one of these teachers. Although, I am not a gamer, I relate to the processes of receiving instant feedback and working towards an overall goal.
After watching Tom Chatfield's TED Talk called "7 Ways Games Reward the Brain," I have a renewed interest in pursuing a unit that is designed as a game. His insight gave me some specific ideas of how to design my own game, and I was intrigued specifically by the science behind the effect of gaming on the brain. For example, who would have guessed that we could map how much dopamine is being released to predict student engagement? Let's take a look at the 7 Principles Chatfield discusses:
1. Experience bars measuring- Students need to have a status bar showing their progress and their completion to the overall goal.
2. Multiple short term and long term aims- Students need multiple tasks going at one time where they can choose their path. In my game, I believe I could design it where some tasks are completed in one sitting whereas others build upon one another and require additional time to complete the task. This takes us into Reward 3.
3. Rewards for Effort- While students are working on those long term goals, they need to be rewarded for what they are working on now. Students need to be rewarded each time so I would design a game with rewards for completing various assignments, doing something well, working with others, etc.
4. Rapid, frequent, and clear feedback- As a teacher, I need to model my expectations. Then, give students clear feedback on their progress throughout the course. I will also design my game to give students immediate feedback even if it is just "Great job" or "Thank you for your submission." I think it also goes a long way as a teacher if you give feedback on each assignment.
5. An element of uncertainty- Uncertainty creates excitement for students so I think adding hidden components to a game would be beneficial in my game. Excitement releases dopamine in the brain which when mapped can be used to predict enhanced engagement. I think we can use uncertainty to add extra quests or other "fun" elements.
6. Windows of Enhanced Attention- Using these principles helps enhance students' memory and confidence. In turn, this helps students remember more of the content and also take more risks. As a teacher, it is important to capitalize on these moments.
7. Other people- The biggest component of the online games is that people feed off of other people. In the classroom, students need to work more with others whether as partners, cooperative groups, or a whole team to accomplish a specific goal. I can use this in the classroom or in an online game format. I like what Chatfield said that it took 42 people to defeat a dragon in one game so I think adding those elements of surprises enhance the overall appeal of gaming for students.
You can watch the TED Talk at http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_chatfield_7_ways_games_reward_the_brain.
Excellent post!
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