Everyone likes to play, regardless of age. And today, technology makes it possible to turn a game into many routine processes that until recently looked extremely serious and boring. We are going to talk about the principles of gamification and how it affects educational processes.
What is the Benefit of Gamification?
Involvement: “Memorization” and negative motivation are gradually receding into the background – in order to effectively assimilate the material; modern students need to be involved in the process. According to the survey, 67% of students note that gamification motivates them to achieve results: there is a greater desire to understand a complex subject, such as mathematics.
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Instant feedback: Most educational apps have leaderboards that students use to track their progress. This information encourages you to retake tests to get a higher score and increase your rating.
Productivity: With the use of gaming techniques, knowledge is assimilated better by 30%, and educational results increase by 89.5%.
How it works
Motivation and reward: Think of any mobile game: in order to advance to the next level, you need to get a certain number of “stars,” “coins,” or points. The same applies in teaching: on an online platform or directly in the classroom, a competitive atmosphere is created. For example, a teacher might set a rule: if they answer correctly, children earn a point; if they are wrong, the reward is “taken” by the teacher. If they win, the class gets less homework.
Status: The transition to a new league is always perceived positively, as it opens up access to additional bonuses in the game. A similar system works well on online platforms: students score a certain number of points and receive a new status and with it access to useful information.
Entertainment: Of course, the learning process should not turn into continuous fun; however, complex and sometimes boring topics can be made simple and fun with the help of game mechanics.
Secret: Students must fill in the gap between the known and the unknown, but to do so, they first need to find information, such as opening a chest or solving a riddle.
Emotions: Any game evokes emotions in a person, such as joy, sympathy, or enthusiasm – they make us not give up halfway through the work.
All of these elements are used, among other things, by large educational platforms. The most famous example is the Duolingo project, an application for learning foreign languages, which included competitive mechanics in its programs: crowns, leagues, and prizes that you need to stay on. It captures and encourages students to study regularly. The “Tamagotchi effect” works great in education.
Offline learning
In the segment of formal education, the situation is completely different. It would seem that “a child learns the world through play” is a pedagogical dogma. However, already at school, they forget about it, offering children an inflexible class-lesson system instead of playing.
The work of schools and universities is regulated by the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard, and the term “gamification” is not yet included in the standard.
Therefore, any game techniques are used (or not used) at the discretion of the teacher. They can use ready-made scripts on online platforms or come up with their own.
For example, turn biology homework into an exciting quest around the island so that students, while solving a riddle, can simultaneously study flora and fauna.
Not just for kids
Games take you back to childhood. Gamification, in this sense, is universal and stimulates interest in learning not only among children but also among adults. For example, of the 42 million Duolingo users, 46% are between the ages of 26 and 45.
More than 70% of Forbes 2000 companies use game methods to train employees. For example, Deloitte developed an online game that helps new employees get comfortable in a new job and gain the necessary skills in MS Office and consulting. With the help of gamification, the company has halved the training time for new employees.
According to the study, 83% of employees who receive training with game mechanics are more motivated to work than the rest, and only 3% of employees remained unproductive after playing training – against 12% of those who did not receive it at all.
Compliance, products and services, and learning new skills are some of the most popular areas where employees want to see gamification.
The gamification market is growing rapidly – in 2018, it was $1.4 billion, and by 2026, according to forecasts, it will grow to $38 billion. Today, gaming techniques are almost indispensable for retaining the attention of students, and in five years, they may become an integral part of education.
The choice of specific elements of gamification depends on the personality of the student, age, tasks, and so on. Some people prefer to study with a special application or one-on-one with a teacher; others work great as a team in competition mode. Everything that increases interest in the subject promotes motivation and memorization and allows you to develop and consolidate skills effectively.
Balach Qadeer