Success!
James Paul Gee explains that when humans understand, they are able to run in their head a simulation of images, actions, and experiences. “When humans want an action to succeed, they think really well. If there is no action or they don’t care about the outcome, they think very poorly.” It’s not the manual, but the experience of playing the game or putting together a remote control car or landing a space shuttle. Gamification of learning can add that action piece. Adolescents love playing games, and they learn. The video, Born to Learn, states,”We have evolved to learn by looking at things from different perspectives and making connections between things. And we do that through play.”
Science and gamification really go hand in hand. Even though I didn’t know the term gamification, I often implement the concept in my class. My 8th graders are currently studying forces and motion. I incorporated many gamification facets into this unit. First of all, I wanted them to create a video lecture of the introductory piece on motion, speed, and velocity. I created the base presentation. They were then required to do the reading, research, and note taking to understand the concepts in the presentation. The slides were divvied up among the students in each block. I then set up a Google doc for collaboration on the script. Even though each group was responsible for one or two slides, there needed to be consistency and flow with the lecture. They needed to know what their classmates were saying. This also allowed me to monitor any comprehension or communication problems. Each group wrote and practiced their portion. They used video creation software to record their part.
After all were submitted, I did a quick video edit. The gamification part comes in the form of competition. Each block was working together, but they were competing against the other 3 blocks. I will set up a scoring form and have the other Science teachers rate the 4 video lectures. The winning class will get a nice prize…they want pizza. Of course, they do. I will post the winning video lecture soon.
Image by Reuvenk
The second gamification portion is in the practical application of measuring speed. Each class was divided into groups. Each group received a battery-operated car. They then created a track to run their car. They measured the distance of the track and the time it took for their car to travel, and then they calculated the speed. We compared their individual findings and made predictions about which team would win a race. Then, we raced. There was a lot of smack talk and cheering too. They were also able to give possible reasons for their successes and failures. Many of them wanted new batteries, complained that their car needed new wheels, or accused others of cheating, but it was great fun and they learned a lot through the incorporation of action and competition.
Finally, the students are required to build a vehicle that demonstrates the application of Newton’s Laws of Motion. They must take into account those laws and build a vehicle that will go as fast and as far as possible. They may not use batteries or motors to drive the vehicle, and they must build it from scratch, preferably with recycled/re-purposed materials.
Newton Scooter
They then produce a commercial showcasing their Newton vehicle and explaining how they applied Newton’s Laws. Here’s a link to one of last year’s videos. We will have a race day in which they will compete to see who was most successful. There will be prizes for fastest and for greatest distance covered. We will also race on different surfaces. Their reflection will be to choose one way they could improve their vehicle based on what happened on race day.
I know they care about the outcome and want to WIN, because even though I have not officially posted the project assignment, many of them have already started researching and planning. They are already “thinking really well”…I love it!