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How Games Naturally Promote A Growth Mindset

11/22/2015

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Sometimes I struggle finding the words I need to clearly articulate what I want to say when I am talking about Gamification. Sometimes I realize it is totally OK not to re-invent the wheel. The article below is being reposted and was written by Mary Wissinger. I found it when I scrolling through Teach Thought - which might I ad is a great website for educators! 

It really drives home how games, gamification and game based learning can be true game changers in your classroom. Not only in motivation and resiliency but ultimately in what all teachers want in their students - growth as learners. 

Hope you like it!

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Isn't that the truth!
How Games Naturally Promote A Growth Mindset

by Mary Wissinger

Let’s face it: our students are playing games. Lots of them. It’s easy to vilify games and say they are the cause of shorter attention spans and behavior issues, but for better or worse, games are not going anywhere. As educators, we have the chance to tap into a movement that has captivated our students’ attention. By incorporating games and using the language of games in the classroom, we can shift students’ thinking so the resilient behavior demonstrated while playing a game transfers to the process of learning.

In a growth mindset, there are larger factors than the outcome. Progress and growth are acknowledged as valuable in the learning process. This is directly in line with our students’ relationship to games. They generally play games to win, of course, but mostly the point of playing a game is to play. They enjoy the experience of the game, and then there is an outcome. With this in mind, it’s not such a leap from a sandbox game (like Minecraft) to the sandbox that is art class. Yes, the final product is important, but how we get there is also of great importance. In any class, educators hope that students value the content, but also the very process of learning and thinking. We can spark excitement about learning by adopting a game mentality.

With a game, kids already expect a learning curve. They know they have to learn the rules in order to play. Whether in kickball on the playground or in a video game, there are rules about what you can and cannot do. This transfers directly to any educational concept where requisite knowledge is required. Once they understand the rules of bonding, they can draw a molecule. Once they understand a pentatonic scale, they can use it to improvise a song.
We can bridge this gap by incorporating games that allow practice of educational concepts, such as word games or logic puzzles. Students can literally play with the concept, and enjoy themselves. In this low-stakes, supportive environment, students can feel free to take intellectual risks because it’s just a game. This takes the intimidation out of learning, and gets them excited about what’s coming next. Another possibility is to acknowledge accomplishments as if students have just won a game or completed a level. Get creative about how to mark when they’ve master the songs for the concert, or successfully completed the complex experiment.

The Challenges Of A Fixed Mindset

To a student locked in a fixed mindset, every school task either keeps them on track, or derails their dreams. A fixed mindset says, “If I score a ____ on this test, then I am _____.” This is limiting, but can be avoided with one word – yet. It’s an important word in the vocabulary of someone with a growth mindset. The word implies that eventually, with effort, the person will complete the task or have the knowledge required by the situation.
Games give students a chance to practice saying yet. I haven’t found the treasure yet. I haven’t won a round yet. They are playing and learning, and a setback is natural and is not “failing.” Another game could start soon. What’s so wonderful about games is that they teach life lessons. When playing any game, kids learn that they will win some and lose some. Even if they do everything right, it might not work out. They might have to try again. That is merely part of playing the game, and (spoiler alert!) part of living as a human being on the earth.

It’s tough, though, for students to persist when they get a low grade or see themselves repeatedly not meeting the objectives of a unit. This presents a unique opportunity for educators to tap into the mentality of games. A seasoned gamer never quits after losing the first level. They take what they’ve learned, and try that same level again. Once a player plays enough, they become proficient, complete their tasks, and they are ready for the next level. We can use this language of games to talk about meeting benchmarks, or any objective. If a student is not ready to “level up” with a concept, they know they can try again with more information or a different strategy. Whatever language is used, a game mentality can help students move forward in the face of adversity.

The true beauty of a game is that, like a growth mindset, the outcome is never fixed. Somebody different could win every time. A strategy might not always work. But, each turn presents an opportunity to move closer to the end goal. In this relaxed environment, students can learn how to laugh off a bad turn and later cheer on their peers. When the time comes, they will know how to shake off a low grade, re-focus on their learning, and help others do the same.

​Game on!

​
Mary Wissinger is a writer, educator and Creativity Coach found at Chin Up Heat Open. She is currently is on the team at Genius Games, a company designing science-themed tabletop games that are kid tested and educator approved; image attribution flickr user woodleywonderworks and sharonmollerus
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How My Gamification Preps for the Real World

11/9/2015

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Hello everyone!

First off, I want to take this time to thank the World Gamification Conference for their incredible work and drive towards what should be an incredible Gamification Conference in Barcelona, Spain this week. It runs from the 10th-13th and hits every facet of Gamification - business to marking to education to health care! I wish I could attend this year but it just did not line up so hopefully in the future it will.
I also want to express my sincerest thanks to the jury and evaluation panel of the Conference Awards Gala for selecting my little project as an award finalist in the Education category!

I cannot believe that my idea to increase student engagement and learning has both grown as big as it has and as quickly as it has. I will find out on the 12th if I am fortunate enough to win but at this point being selected as a finalist is more than anything I could have ever dreamed of!

Click here to see a list of all of the nominees!

Good luck to everyone!
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So back to the main purpose of this Blog entry - Gamification meets Real World!

Making Real World Connections - The Good!

As my game has continued to develop (I'm about to release Update 3.0 in a week) it has really begun to take up a life of it's own! The best part is that the kids are the ones driving some of the major changes and adaptions of the game itself. They are coming up with new cards, ideas and their designs, they are coming up with new quests and giving me some feedback about how to modify the ones that I have created and even suggesting the creation of new rules to help govern the Land of Scientia Terra justly. Overall, it's been an amazing experience thus far but recently a student's passing comment really drove me to add something quite unique!

I was talking with a student about how much money they had in the bank and how they could not afford the card they wanted just yet. They were disappointed, which was understandable, and I wanted to do something to allow them to earn extra money. Later on that day, our district Superintendent stopped by my classroom as I had invited him earlier in the year. I was explaining to him the details of the program, how I use tech and how things run in the class when he made the comment, "Wow, do they have jobs too haha?" Immediately I realized the solution to my problem - I need to hire people!

I decided to throw the idea out there to the kids. "Alright, the people of Scientia Terra need you!" I started, "I need to hire people to do some of the jobs the people of Scientia Terra did before they were captured and their land ravaged!" There was a tone about the room that let me know I had their attention. "I need to hire people to run the store, the blacksmith to encourage crafting, sanitation crews (custodians now) to keep the land clean and jobs like that." Silence. Intrigue. More silence. "Also, I will be paying people 500 gold pieces per month with the opportunities for performance bonuses. Oh and if you don't perform your job I'll fire you too!"

Hook, line, sinker..!

"You mean we get real jobs? We get paid? While at school?"
"Yup, that's the idea!"
"How do I apply? What do I do?"
"Well you need resumes of course"
"How do I write that?!" they panicked.
"Don't worry I'll show you. I'll show you mine, the one that got me this job. You can write a professional one to use for jobs this spring and summer or make a fictitious one with information and skills you would need in Scientia Terra. I'll leave it up to you guys"

Before I knew it I had 27 resumes handed in for 15 positions. I could not just filter the successful candidates by picking the best resumes, I needed another real world tie in. Job interviews!

I had a few sit down job interviews with applicants when I could not decided who to hire. This was fun and helpful for the students. In my earlier days I was part of the interview team at entry level jobs like Dollarama and Dairy Queen (my 1st 2 places of employment) and I know what they are expecting and what they commonly ask so this worked out perfectly.

So here I was, in my ever growing world of Scientia Terra, now hiring students and paying them in game dollars. So did it work?

At this point I've hired my 1st set of 15 employees for 1 week now and what they have accomplished is unbelievable to me. Let me break it down for you ...

My Store Keeper
- They have inventoried my game cards
- Determined the next 10 items for sale
- Priced out the items
- Designed 3 new items I will be implementing into the game

My Blacksmiths
- They have inventoried my crafting cards
- Setup my 1st 9 cards to be sold (I haven't sold these cards before)
- Designed 5 new crafting items
- Come up with 3 different formulas for crafting
- Coming up with promotion ideas

My Designers
- They have submitted and started the conversion of my desk into a castle - how cool!
- They are designing a jail for me (more on that later)
- They are designing bins for submitting work and quests
- They are designing how the class space will fit the different season

My Armoury & Scrap Yard Keeper
- All unusable and broken material has been discarded
- All my weapons and supplies (pens, pencils, etc...) have been inventoried
      *Side note: she was frustrated with how many she had and went missing so she is coming up with a labelling system to
       catch thieves. I'm excited to see what she comes up with!*
-
She has submitted a list of what supplies I need to replenished
- Cleaned up the scrap yard and prepped it for the next quest set

My Custodians
- What more can I say except my room is spotless!
- They designed their own cleaning schedule
- Again, my room is spotless!!

This type of support will, and already is,  produce three clear and tangible results...

1) My classroom will be able to progress and develop faster than anything I could have ever achieved on my own. The space
    will grow and develop more and more into the land of Scientia Terra which will strengthen my narrative as well as increase
    student engagement.

2) It will keep the kids connected to the game. Knowing that they, or their peers, are developing aspects of the game gives
    them a voice and when a student feels like they have a voice in a classroom they feel appreciated and when they feel
    appreciated they work hard!

3) This is teaching them real world responsibility! When you have a job you have to stick to the schedule, follow the rules and
    complete your assigned tasks within a given time frame. All of these things are happening with their Scientia Terra jobs and
    they are enjoying it! You can see the pride in them and I love it!

Making Real World Connections - The Bad...Sort of!

This isn't really a bad but a real world consequence for bad behaviours you could say.

While I was explaining the job aspect of things a student approached me later in the day and said they had an amazing idea. They found me later on  and were excited. "I think we should have a jail or prison or something", he proudly told me. "I like it, go on" I motioned to him.

"Well if people are screwing around or something they should go to jail"
"How bad does it have to be"
"I don't know like ruins other peoples learning and stuff. Break things. I don't know."

I stood there frozen a little bit. This was coming from a student that used to struggle in school and focus and work submission had been a problems. By his own description he could be in jail himself! He, by his own self admission, would interrupt other peoples learning. For him to mention this was incredible. Could he be looking for a way motivate himself. I'm not too sure but I'm excited to find out!

"Who determines that?" I asked him.
"Well maybe we should have a jail guard or something. I could do it!"
"I would need to hire someone to be fair but bring me a resume and you will be in the mix"

Looks like I'll need to add another job posting to my list!

So here I was prepping for a jail in my classroom. I'm still working on the rules but it should work along the lines of: I'm the warden, I have 4 jail guards (1 per class), I make the final call (to keep things fair but they report). If you are sent to jail you a penalized money and game cards, to get out of jail you have to complete a boring, tech free, archaic task or your guild or a guild member has to pay a bail fee (student idea). You get no tech and no communication with the outside world. I'll be rolling this idea out in about 2 weeks and I guess at this point we will see where it goes! Regardless, it should be pretty interesting!

If it doesn't work, we learn the best things through failure ... right?

There you are, strengthening real world skills through a game. This Gamification movement is really onto something!

Until next time my friends!

- Master Heebs

PS: Keep your fingers crossed for the 12th!
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    Mr. (Scott) Hebert regularly maintains this Blog. All posts are by him unless otherwise noted. 

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Home of the Winner of The Gamification of Education Project - 2015