How To Gamify Your Classroom

Gamification is the integration of game-like mechanics into non-game “stuff.”

For years, schools have been gamified. Points for performance. Points accrue to earn “badges” (e.g., letter grades). Students are separated and ranked (e.g., class ranks). Winners of this “game” are celebrated (e.g., valedictorians).

While this approach offers tremendous potential that has yet to be tapped (uncovering the nuance of the learning process, for example), it can also be approached from a simpler point of view–added in to the instructional design process, which the following graphic from Mia MacMeekin takes a look at.

Rather than “gamifying” a typical unit, this graphic promotes building a unit centered around a game and featuring game-like mechanics. So a kind of game-based learning and gamification process rolled into one.

Pretty cool, no?

6 Steps To Gamifiying Instructional Design

1. Identify Learning Outcomes

2. Choose a Big Idea

3. Storyboard the Game

4. Design Learning Activities

5. Build Teams

6. Apply Game Dynamics