Gamification in the Classroom
Gamification is defined as the process of adding games or gamelike elements to something (such as a task) so as to encourage participation. Within my classroom, I utilize video games to incorporate this element. In essence, I play various video games, contact the creators/publishers (to get approval), and create my "out there" ideas to
encourage and motivate my students to highest levels of thinking.
As an English teacher, I always embed writing activities within these creations. Additionally, these creations also
incorporate STEAM concepts. My main motivation is each of these creations comes from a study conducted on what employers are looking for in applicants for the 21st Century workforce. One quote that stands out for me (and is the basis for what I do) is shown below:
“The biggest skill people are missing is the ability to communicate: both written and oral presentations. It’s a huge problem for us.” -Annmarie Neal (Vice President for Talent Management at Cisco Systems)
For our students to have a fighting chance in the current (and upcoming workforce), they must be able to communicate in a clear and concise manner. Each of these creations promotes this notion, in a variety of ways.
