This week, having been frustrated at not launching the whole gamified system, I have at least been able to involve my class in the design process.
On Monday we discussed the reasons they might have for wanting to become better readers - and they came up with everything you might hope and more - and I touched a little bit on the areas of reading we might develop skills in (I didn't use the term Assessment focus).
Later in the week they worked in pairs and groups to suggest activities they might undertake to demonstrate their skills in these different areas. Again, they were brilliant and took it really seriously. They had lots of ideas for performing or retelling activities, which I have not perhaps explored too much myself, on the grounds that they might be too noisy in a classroom - but perhaps I need to explore these non-written methods more. They also suggested 'unpressurised' - their word - reading comprehension tasks/tests as a way of demonstrating understanding - and that seems like a great idea. I thought they might even do it collaboratively (although collaboration always makes individual assessment more difficult).
Which reminds me that I do have to make time for them to learn, and not just show me what they've learned.
On Friday I gave myself permission to spend some time on the task (it feels like so much more fun that 'real' work that I feel I have to restrict the time I spend on it) and came up with the beginnings of a class display to show off what we are doing.
We are Oak Class, so I have called the space 'Oakenaria' and created a map on the wall, with seven areas to visit, each aligned to one of the seven reading skills (or AFs). The places have names such as Mystery Mansion (for AF2 - fact finding or detective work) or Jigsaw Jungle (AF7 - how our literary heritage fits together) which will hopefully fit the theme.
Today, I have slotted all this into a powerpoint slideshow which begins with the map, with each place to visit linked to a page identifying the features of the skill learned there, with some indication of skills progression. I've up-loaded it to the school's learning platform so that the children can view it at home too.
It feels good to be making progress. I do feel that I'm putting off some major tasks though. And I'm not sure I even know what they are.
Parents' consultation evenings this week and the KS2 production next month are bound to intervene, too, but little by little I will get there.
The next thing to get my mind around, and I'm not sure whether to involve the class in this, is more to do with the game mechanics. For example, should
the next level be 'unlocked' by proven skill at the current level, or can players select quests from any level?
I have spent this weekend visiting family and, during car journeys and downtime, reading Lee Sheldon's 'The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game'. I really enjoyed his down-to-earth style and readable prose. There are a good variety of case studies too, in addition to detail about his own experiences of gaming the classroom. I'm now looking forward to reading his blog to dig further into the detail.
My enthusiasm has been infectious. I've talked through my gamification project with my 16-year-old son, who is now also excited by the concept. He has provided his own insights and suggestions.
I do probably need a fallow period to consolidate thoughts and ideas (I have too many to allow for a simple and workable classroom system).
Meanwhile, the reading will continue - next stop Jane McGonigal's 'Reality is Broken.
Well, half term has come and almost gone. I have spent my days in the fascinating online world of the edublogosphere, twitter, TED and other places I never knew existed. I have learnt so much.
And achieved rather little.
Not quite true, of course. I have put lots of thinking and planning into the gamification of Guided Reading in my classroom. But I'm just not quite ready to put it into action. I really had hoped to have a complete package to unveil to my unsuspecting Y5/6 class and I haven't made it. Perhaps my design is too complicated, but I just don't quite have all the resources perfected - levelled activities for pupils to select from, envelopes stuffed with rewards, leader boards ready for leaders.
And I do also have a life. I'm off to visit family for the weekend and I can't devote more time to my project before Monday.
So I have decided to accept that I can't have a great reveal on Monday and turn it to my advantage. Instead of rushing into it and presenting the class with a done deal, I can spend time talking to them about the project and eliciting their ideas, so that they contribute to the structure of the game mechanics - and hopefully feel ownership and additional engagement as a result. And, of course, I could learn a lot from their experience of game-play. Mine is probably much more limited.
So my plan for Monday is to ask them about their experience of gaming and reward structures and give them the task of thinking about it over the week. It will also give me time to help them create their own avatars for a 'multiplayer classroom' (my copy arrived today, cant wait to get stuck in).
Overall, a happy week with hopefully more to come.
Collo
I'm sure this has happened to you: you get all excited about a particular approach or research subject; you live and breath it for days, weeks, months - and then somebody, somewhere makes a comment, unrelated to your work, that makes you doubt yourself.
That happened to me today. I've been immersing myself in gamification positivity, from all angles. I've been more excited about setting something up in my own classroom than I have been for years.
And then came a little tweet. Retweeted by someone else. A piece entitled 'How to create Non Readers - a reflection on motivation', by Alfie Kohn. A thoughtful, insightful and inspiring essay on the value of intrinsic motivation in reading. And I'm back in my PGCE year, passionate about intrinsic motivation and the dangers lurking in every pack of stickers.
So which way to turn? On the one hand, I still believe in creating a love of reading for its own sake. On the other, I am beginning to understand (or think I am) how classrooms mitigate against the boys in school (Ali Carr-Chellman's TED talk on engaging boys through gaming, for example - pretty inspiring) and I really want to work on behalf of the boys I see switching off and turning away from my neat iedas of what should engage them.
So I have ploughed right on. I've completed my set of levelled activities for independent work in Guided Reading. I've been out and bought cards and envelopes and stickers (aargh!) and I'm all ready to bring them into play on Monday.
With a little of yesterday's excitement and enthusiasm, I'm sure I can excite my class about my new approach next week. But stickability counts. I don't want to be reinventing the wheel at Christmas.
Tell me what you think. Must motivation be intrinsic to be worthy?
Collo
Bit of a breakthrough last night, as I sat down with pencil and paper to articulate how the game mechanics would work for my class in Guided Reading. This morning I have set the elements out on my linoit canvas, do have a look.
Here is the idea.
Tasks
- There are a set of tasks for children in the class to choose from independently.
- Tasks are linked to the Assessment Focuses AF1-7 (although I am stripping out AF1 tasks separately for SEN children, given that they deal with decoding and I have a Y5/6 class who are mostly beyond that stage).
- Tasks are set at Levels 2-5 (this meets the needs of my class at present, although I may need to add L6 in future).
- Thus I have a matrix of 6 AFs at each of 4 levels = 24 task sections. (Assuming a number of different tasks for each section, this does mean creating a good number of tasks.)
- Tasks are carefully crafted to provide me, as teacher, with evidence of the child's attainment at the given AF and level (if successfully completed).
- Generic tasks (e.g. drawing a character from a description in the text) can be repeated for different texts. Specific tasks (e.g. set of comprehension questions or online quiz or test) can be repeated multiple times to achieve success. This is a key feature of the system, to replicate the motivational structure of gameplay in computer games.
- Tasks will need to include some novel elements to sustain motivation - e.g. online quizzes, posting pictures online, collaborative tasks etc. I can't yet see a way to build in games, except at AF1. But I'll work on it.
Rewards
- There is an instant reward for choosing a task (and thanks to Andrew Proto in his series on Gamification Co for the low-tech solution of placing tasks in an envelope with some instant reward). In my case this might be a raffle ticket and House Point.
- Completion of a task is rewarded with 10XP, 1HP, further raffle ticket.
- Completion of a task from a new AF is further rewarded with a 'New AF' badge.
- Satisfactory completion of a task at the given level is further rewarded with additional XP etc. and, if for the first time at that level, a badge.
- Badges can also be achieved for reaching XP targets e.g. 500XP and multiples thereof.
Quests
- A number of Quests are defined (e.g. in a Quest booklet or online Wiki).
- Each Quest carries a set of conditions (generally completion of a specified set of tasks) and rewards - e.g. 200XP, 10HP (I may have to adjust these).
- Collaborative Quests require two or more pupils to work together on a given task or two. Both then receive the rewards.
- There is a separate set of AF1 Quests with smaller steps to progress to motivate the children who need to make catch-up progress.
Narrative
- I have considered creating an overarching narrative structure for a 'Reading Quest Land' (see Kate Fanilli's work in edudemic.com). I think it would be hard to add this to a game system at a subsequent point, but nevertheless feel that it is a step too far for me at this point. I fear it would require too much sustained energy to maintain the suspension of disbelief required in class. I do, however, appreciate that this might be the key dividing factor in making the whole system fun, engaging and therefore effective, so will endeavour to return to this idea.
Leader Board
- I know that viewing your position on a Leader Board can be highly motivational to game-players.
- I intend to create a leader board based on XP and also listing badges and Quests, but which does not reference Levels. Thus position on the board is driven by effort, not attainment.
- Not yet sure whether this will be an online board or a physical display in the classroom. It may need to be both and could be the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of teacher workload.
I think that has covered the key elements I want to put in place. As ever, I would love to hear the views of anyone - expert, experimenter or interested reader - on how you think this might all work in practice.
Collo
I read recently that a new blogger should have an initial aim of 10 blog posts - so I still have some way to go to meet even that modest goal.
Today has been a little frustrating in terms of progress towards gamifying my classroom, mainly because I had other jobs that needed doing - maths planning for next week for example. And because maths isn't on my short term gamification plan, I felt a little as though I was short-changing my class by providing them with the same old curriculum process. I did update the class Learning Platform/VLE page, which felt good, and a step in the right direction.
My main game-plan task today has been to gather a set of activities that pupils can do in order to fulfill whatever criteria I set, all linked to the NC Assessment Focuses. If you want to have a look, or even make a suggestion or two, see my linoit canvas at
http://linoit.com/users/collosopede/canvases/Gamifying%20Guided%20Reading
The next task is to really sort out how to marry up 'school' and 'game' reward structures. For example, we have a House Point system, intended to reward good work, and a system of 'raffle tickets', awarded for good behaviour (an resulting in a weekly chance in the raffle ticket draw for a prize), amongst other things. I need to tap into any residual motivational impact these sytems have, and reinforce these if at all possible - I don't want to reduce them to worthless anachronisms. I need to find a place for them in the overall scheme - as well as badges, XP, game levels, NC levels, quests and an ongoing narrative.
Should be quite straightforward...
Collo
I have spent an hour this morning - that extra one, the clocks have just gone forward - using linoit to organise my initial thoughts on how gamification might work for Guided Reading. (Gamifying Guided Reading)
I am planning to use the National Curriculum Assessment Focuses (do we not say 'Foci' any more?) as the basis for work in and out of class, and am considering using badges and XP for completion of tasks linked to the AFs.
Needless to say, this first phase raises many more questions than solutions:
- Should accumulation of badges and/or XP result in tangible rewards?
- How can Levelling Up work? Given that we already have NC levels associated with Reading, must game levels be linked to these to avoid confusion?
- If so, completion of tasks does not necessarily equate to achievement of a given level. Would there need to be another set of badges that indicated achievement of the level in a given AF?
- How should badges, XP and Level information be stored and displayed (if at all)?
- Should we have a class Leader Board?
- What role should the VLE play in this?
- Should we use an online 3rd party provider for badge collection and display, as well as creation?
- Who will be responsible for collection of data? (Me...)
- What would a Quest look like for Reading - and how would it relate to badges, XP and Levels?
- Is questing a step too far at this stage? I.e. should I start with one reward system at a time and then add layers of complexity? Or does it need to be 'big bang' to have sufficient impact?
Well, I shall be wrangling with these questions over the next few days. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Collo
