Gaming with a Purpose: Utilizing gamification for academic achievement

Most people born after the 1960’s have experienced playing arcade or video games. The popularity of gaming has reached a peak in 2022, as gaming has become a completive sport, likened to poker. With most of the world able to access the internet, sites like YouTube and Tik Tok are great platforms for gamers to stream their content. Asking students to go back to the basics with paper and pencil is similar to asking society to revert back to the stone age—the concept just isn’t plausible and overall not beneficial to our society. “To achieve this behavior change, gamification can be integrated with processes to coach employees through the process execution,” (Burke, 2014). Not only can gamification be used for adults, but it can utilized for all ages, from toddlerhood to senior. Curriculum Associates’ I-Ready Learning is a software that utilizes interactive learning activities and educational math games based on skill acquisition for students in Kindergarten to eighth grade.

Meeting the Goals in I-Ready

Erickson et. al. explain that “Digital badges are visual representations of achievement that are available online and contain rich metadata as evidence of the achievement; they are often combined with points and leaderboards to gamify learning,” (2018). I-Ready provides students with an academic goal—identified through a point system and mini lessons modeled with interactive activities and visuals. I-Ready Learning explains on their website that it “provides scaffolded support that meets the needs of all students; creates personal learning pathways for each student,” (2022). These pathways are based on each individual student’s diagnostic results therefore students are assigned individualized goals to make academic progress. Students are assigned personalized lessons aligned to these goals and academic deficiencies. I-Ready Learning provides the students with a visual representation of their progress so students can be accountable for their learning and track their goal acquisition (I-Ready, 2022).

Frequent Feedback Through I-Ready

Gamification is fun for students but should also provide critical feedback to improve the learner’s knowledge or outcome. Gamification can be used to provide useful feedback. In the Book, Gamify, Burke explains that “In gamification, achievements are recognized in a number of ways, with one of the more common ways being badges,” (2014). In using I-Ready Learning, students are provided feedback through multiple means to understand their progress toward meeting their goals. I-Ready Learning explains on their website that their programs "Use corrective feedback to promote productive struggle, so students become more independent,” (2022). This feedback is provided to both the learner and the teacher, so the educator is able to provide current remediation or modify instruction as needed. Immediate feedback to current learning is vital in the learning process. “Rapid feedback allows teachers to gauge the student’s current understanding and make instructional decisions in the moment,” (Erickson et al., 2018). This means there is not wasted turn-around time from objective to assessment. Remediation happens iteratively which is beneficial for both the learning and educator.

Volitional Strategizing with I-Ready

Erickson et al. explain that immediate feedback “also allows students to evaluate their own learning, see the results of their efforts, and make decisions about strategies and next steps,” (2018). Determining how to plan instructional and provide remediation follows a cycle that educators have spent years learning and applying. For students to decide which goals have higher priority happens often during teaching moments when the opportunity to correct may come too late. “In cases when this goals collide, volitional strategies can help students prioritize their goals and avoid being distracted by those that are less important at any given moment,” (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018). One of the greatest benefits of I-Ready Learning is that it creates goals for the learning as well as establish how the learning can attain these goals. The software prioritizes vital lessons, games, and on-the-spot feedback in a path that allows the learner to stay on target toward their goal. Often times, educators have many goals to assist students with, in multiple subject areas but I-Ready Learning’s Personalized Instruction Path does it all. I-Ready Learning explains on their site that “Students receive a personalized lesson path of engaging instruction and practice based on their I-Ready Diagnostic results,” (2022). Instead of students or teachers having to plan specific learning goals, I-Ready Learning does that for them.

References:

Burke, B. (2014). Gamify: How gamification motivates people to do extraordinary things. O'Reilly. Bibliomotion. Retrieved April 23, 2022, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/gamify-how-gamification/9781937134860/chapter004.html

Erickson, A., Lundell, J., Michela, E., & Pfleger, I. (2018). Gamification. In R. Kimmons, The Students' Guide to Learning Design and Research. EdTech Books. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/studentguide/gamification

Reiser, & J.V Dempsey (Eds.). (2018). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.) (pp. 80-81). New York, NY: Pearson

Personalized learning in reading and mathematics: I-ready. Curriculum Associates. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2022, from https://www.curriculumassociates.com/programs/i-ready-learning/personalized-instruction