Gamification to Engage Students in Literacy Patrice Becicka, Ben Wilcox, Michael Young College Community School District “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” - Ignacio Estrada

Gamification: Applying game design thinking to non-game applications to make them more fun and engaging. It can potentially be applied to any industry and almost anything to create fun and engaging experiences, converting users into players.

Components Progression –Building Levels Investment –Achievements –Collaboration –Mastery Learning Streaming Discovery –Navigating Learning –Uncovering Pockets of Knowledge –Countdown and Loss Aversion –Synthesis and Skill Set

Connections Immediate Feedback & Reinforcers Progress Tracking & Mastery (Badges, Leaderboards, Competition) Increasing Difficulty (Leveling System) Low Risk of Failure (Unlimited Retakes) Storyline / Narrative Student Choice

The Kickstart Problems of Practice –Common Core –Meeting Diverse Needs –Student Engagement Gamification as a Solution –Synthesis of Multiple Knowledge and Skills through Mastery Learning Addresses Demands of Common Core –High Levels of Flexibility and Feedback Meet Diverse Students Where They Are and Move Them Forward –Active Learning: Those Doing the Work are the Ones Doing the Learning

How Can That Work? Traditional Classrooms Collaborative Classrooms Self-Contained Classrooms Period Schedules Block Schedules Solution: Humanize It!

Humanize the Classroom

Our Path First Gamification: December, 2012 Gamification Title: Hunting and Gathering Platform: Google Site Game Overview: Students completed tasks at various levels. Once students completed literacy task, they moved onto the next level. Successes: Using Technology to Deliver Instruction (Flipped Learning) Lessons: Wow! Putting Work on Students is Hard!

Our Path Eight Gamified Units of Instruction Lessons Learned: –Use a Narrative –Incorporate Multiple Opportunities for Feedback Student Self and Peer Assessment Teacher Feedback –Flexibility is Key Responsive Teaching Teacher as Coach –Pacing is a Challenge –Less is More –Video Lessons Help (Personalized with Familiar Faces, When Possible)

QUEEN’S RANSOM: THE PROCESS Score Pre-Assessment Based on Assessment Scoring Guide and Rubric Look for Patterns; Recognize Needs Determine Next Instructional Steps to Address Instructional Needs What Needs Taught/Re-Taught How It Should Be Taught/Re-Taught Continued Assessment to Determine Success of Instruction and Intervention Reflection on Student Growth and Instructional Impact

QUEEN’S RANSOM Queen’s Ransom is a writing unit created as an intervention for students that has become our most successful game to date. Instructional Focus: Expository and Argumentative Writing Premise of the Game: The player is in the kingdom of Scripton and the Queen has been kidnapped. The player is tasked to complete writing challenges as a way to earn gold coins to pay for the queen’s safe return.

GAMIFICATION PATH Hunters and Gatherers Farming and Civilization Institutions Develop Summer Reading Empires Emerge World of 1491 Exploration Queen’s Ransom The Colony

Questions