Week 5 Gamification
and Open Education
What research can
support of refute Matera’s claims?
The author
of Explore like a Pirate, Michael
Matera, makes many claims on how gamification of a classroom affects learning
and participation of the students. As a teacher who works with students who
might seem bored or not engaged in the class, I would like for all of the
claims that he makes about how gamifying a classroom improves participation in
the classroom. With this said, I took two of his claims and researched whether
or not I can accept them and run with the idea of gamifying my classroom.
Matera
claims that “games make kids want to learn” (2015). He brought up the fact
earlier in the book that as kids we played games with family and friends of
which lots of laughter and intrigue came from it. As adults we play games to
have a connection with others and connect to our desire to achieve a goal of
winning or of doing better than the last time. A major part of games is reward for doing
something correctly and Howard-Jones connects how reward does improve learning
in a classroom. He proves how “education may benefit from learning games with
rapid uncertain reward schedules.” (2016) Adults were given a quiz game and
explained that they would win points from selecting one of the boxes and
answering the question correctly. The brain activity of the adults during the
game bridged a gap that makes learning happen and happen successfully. This
research supports the claim made.
Another claim
that Matera makes is that “gamification allows teachers to create challenging
and motivation experiences.” (2015) An interesting research experiment that I
came across was looking at how fourth graders feel motivated and challenged
about the science material being covered in one of three ways: use a gamified
app on a phone with guidance from teacher, use an informational app on a phone
with guidance from a teacher, and use a traditional form of learning (books)
with guidance from a teacher. Su and Cheng found from this experiment that the
students who used the gamified app felt more excited about the material and was
motivated to go above and beyond what was asked from the teacher (2015). The
app on the phone that was purely informational such as providing identification
of an insect had more participation than the traditional model. With this said
the students were only motivated for a short period of time. In my opinion,
this research also supports the claim that gamification gives opportunities for
more motivating and challenging experiences.
Howard-Jones, P.
A., & Jay, T. (2016). Reward, learning and games. Current Opinion
In Behavioral Sciences, 1065-72.
doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.04.015
Matera, M.
(2015). Explore like a pirate. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Su, C., &
Cheng, C. (2015). A mobile gamification learning system for improving the
learning motivation and achievements. Journal Of Computer Assisted
Learning, 31(3), 268-286.
Mariah,
ReplyDeleteA point you made about how we as adults use games to connect with each other is so true. I remember playing pinochle with a couple once or twice a week. We laughed and continued staying in the game as long as we could. Though seeking to be the winners and passing the winners plaque to be presented in that couple’s home, the competition was only part of it.
I was updating computers last week so that the Internet textbooks would be interactive in certain sections. As I think of your example of a student who used an app and was very happy using it, then got bored, I thought about how we as teachers are constantly thinking of variations for learning. Over time, the goal is that they would pursue their own paths related to the objective, but in a way that suits their individual interests. You are very busy with 4th graders each day.
Your description of the quiz game reminds me of the TV show Brain Games. There seems to be more research into how the brain functions, and scientists can understand the unknowns about the brain we have had for centuries. You describe yourself as a "math nerd." I suppose I would describe myself as a "statistics nerd." :-) I want to see more evidence that games really work in learning. One study does not make a case that gamification works. If you have a chance to view my post, I state that only half the public plays games (specifically video games). What about the people that don't like games? How did they fair on the quiz? I'm not trying to devalue your statements. Matera did state in his book that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi said “It seems increasingly clear that the chief impediments to learning are not cognitive in nature. It is not that students cannot learn; it is that they do not wish to.” I see this too often in my experiences in high school, and I see students drop out EVERY year. Is games the answer? I don't know, but I want to see more evidence.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post, Mariah.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I also read the comments. I tend to agree with Gerald when it comes to the number of studies that have been done to support gamification in the classroom. As a scientist, I want to see results replicated, with hard data, before I drop everything and try another "fad." When I do something in my room, especially something I put a lot of time into as Matera did with his gamification process, my view of the outcomes might be slightly skewed compared to an unbiased view of an outsider.
There was a recent article which looked at FitBits and their impact on weight loss. Unless the FitBits were tied to monetary rewards, just wearing the device actually resulted in the least amount of weight loss among three different groups in the study. Here's a link if you want to read the article. It is actually quite intriguing.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/09/20/494631423/weight-loss-on-your-wrist-fitness-trackers-may-not-help