Integrated learning activities can engage students quickly, but these strategies don’t foster the long-term motivation for learning that many teachers are looking for, Higgin said. Because gamification is extrinsically motivated, students can tire quickly because the rewards become smaller and smaller over time, he said.
“I think what teachers end up with is seeing students drive their own lessons, and dig deeper into the lessons,” which is hard to do with gamified activities that encourage immediate rewards for completing simple tasks, Higgin said.
There is a big difference between gamification and game-based learning in terms of outcomes and practice. Game-based learning is beneficial for teachers and students when it is used to increase understanding, and develop critical thinking, critical thinking, and communication skills, Higgin said. But, like most teaching methods, game-based learning requires a lot of preparation.
“Game-based learning works well in any content area or subject when, academically, you focus on building skills and conceptual understanding,” he said.
Game-based learning in the classroom
Educational gaming platforms like Filament Games align content with learning objectives and require critical thinking skills, Higgin said. In the most effective games, “the very mechanics of the game teach you valuable skills that can be translated into the classroom and aligned with teacher goals,” Higgin said.
Joe Dillon, teacher and content-based instruction 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 as literature nearly two decades ago and was familiar with game-based learning. He began exploring digital games, and developed social studies units where students wrote their own version of adventure-based games. Dillon first used Minecraft: Education Edition during workshops that helped students develop community building skills. Dillon went on to help design games for English Language 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 found success using existing board games. For example, the board game Settlers of Catan is often used by math teachers to use probability and decision-making applications, Higgin said. He encouraged teachers to ask students about games they like and don’t have access to, to promote game-based learning.
But game-based learning is easier said than done.
Dillon logged many hours using Minecraft before he was able to introduce it to the classroom with specific and effective learning objectives. According to Garcia, teachers and schools need to commit to the teaching method to embrace game-based learning. “Game-based learning is about adapting existing games” often with the goal of developing soft skills such as teamwork, collaboration, and leadership, he said. Game-based learning can also serve as a form of exposure to content through game play.
Garcia cautioned against game-based learning when the teacher is not well prepared. Some plays include historical reenactments that Garcia said can present “unintended dangers in thinking empathetically about the politics of gender, race, and culture” especially if they produce “certain kinds of dangerous legacies throughout our history.”
There is a time and a place for play-based learning, and it shouldn’t be used for every learning opportunity in the classroom. “I don’t think you can use a game as a substitute for books or certain forms of writing and communication,” said Garcia.
Measuring Game-Based Learning and Gamification
Although there are doubts about gamification, it is not all bad. “I think teachers, if they act like designers, can take the principles of gamification and do great things,” Dillon said. Acknowledging the teacher’s ability to play is important, Garcia said and suggested that teachers guide students in thinking meta-cognitively about gamification activities. Teachers can discuss with students some of the ways in which these types of play programs shape their processes [the] classes,” said Garcia. “When you allow kids to clearly see what schools expect of them, you get powerful conversations where a lot of learning is going on that might not be the intended result of these game tools,” Garcia continued.
Although teachers and students may have different ideas and responses to game design and game-based learning, game-making can sometimes lack connection to the intended activity. If resources and time are limited, as they are for many educators, there are ways to incorporate play-based learning goals without completely overhauling existing lessons and curriculum.
“What teachers can do instead is to look for ways to give students an idea [choices] what they do,” said Higgin. When teachers find “ways to connect students’ curiosity or unique interests with the content,” a game-based learning pedagogy begins to emerge.
