PROMPT: SELECT A GAMIFICATION SOLUTION THAT YOU MIGHT USE FOR YOUR OWN CLASSES, DESCRIBE THE RATIONALE FOR USING THIS SPECIFIC TOOL IN YOUR SETTING, AS WELL AS THE METHOD YOU WILL USE IT TO FOSTER GREATER STUDENT ENGAGEMENT.
I have used Kahoot! in the classroom, and a lot of students enjoy it. Kahoot! is a tool that delivers and presents questions to students. It is set up as a game that students can play either individually or in groups. Instructors provide students with multiple-choice questions, which are projected on a classroom screen. “Kahoot! not only targets users’ needs for challenge and fantasy, but also promotes students’ sensory curiosity through surface-level gamification features (e.g. suspenseful music and color displays), and their cognitive curiosity through the problem-solving process and real-time feedback.” (Licorish, Owen, Daniel and George, 2018). I would often use Kahoot! at the end of a unit or before a quiz/exam. The Kahoot! gives the students an idea of what’s going to be on the exam. If it is used at the end of the unit, I save the scores to see points of weakness to see what I need to review. I believe games help the student retain material because they are having fun and don’t realize they are learning. Because each game can be played more than once, I can repeat the game as a way to enable students to understand why their previous answers were incorrect. Granting awards to the students can foster student engagement. But I wish Kahoot! would allow you to pause the game after each, so I can review the previous to help students understand the answer. It would enable the teacher to bring the class back to emphasize points and answer questions.
Reflection: Teachers are very busy people, so they create their systems to help them stay on task. Incorporating something new requires the teacher to consider the new system and make it hard to integrate into the classroom. Social-emotional learning provides a foundation for safe and positive learning and enhances students’ ability to succeed in school, careers, and life. Various gamification solutions, such as Kahoot! allow students to have fun while learning. The teacher will need to research each gamification solution and decide which one works best for them. If used correctly, the solution can make a positive impact on the classroom environment and the relationship between teachers and students.
Source:
Licorish, S. A., Owen, H. E., Daniel, B., & George, J. L. (2018, July 21). Students’ Perception of Factors Influencing Teaching and … Retrieved April 4, 2020, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1109160.pdf