LEVELING UP: A GAMIFICATION TEACHER’S GUIDE

What is Gamification?

Gamification is the idea of transforming traditional classroom instruction and

management by integrating quests, badges, and a reward point system often found
in video games. With a millenial generation consumed by gaming and clamoring for
individual rewards and recognition, gamification provides a way to keep classroom
expectations high and student engagement even higher. It also integrate seamlessly
into a blended learning classroom environment.

What are the Essential Components of Gamification?

A Strong Leveled Individual and Individual and Integrated Student
Class Groups of Group Group Goal Classroom Helpers
Theme or Students Rewards for Setting Management And
Narrative Outstanding Aids
Performance
and Behaviors

Okay, I’m Considering it...Give Me an Overview.

Check out this general summation of the concept from Khan Academy, a digital
resource that has embraced using points and badges to motivate students and
teachers.

A Step-By-Step How To Guide

STEP 1: Choose a Theme
-Choosing a theme is one of the most creative and invigorative parts of
gamification. A classroom theme will not only inspire the type of points, rewards ,and
badges offered, but can be extended to classroom bulletin board, syllabus, and even
assessment design. A theme should be school appropriate, but should also have a
competitive theme at its core. This is why Game of Thrones and Harry Potter are ideal
starting points.
Each theme you choose should inspire four distinctive student groups. For
example, Harry Potter allows for Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin
student groups.
ATTENTION: Before using any theme below, please open the link, make a copy of the file
onto your Google Drive, then start editing.

Harry Potter Theme Game of Thrones Theme

- Example Groups and Points - Example Groups and Points
Tracker Tracker
Hunger Games Theme Spy Agency Theme
- Example Groups and Points - Example Groups and Points
Tracker Tracker

STEP II: Give a Pre-Assessment to Create Your Groups

-To help form student groups for the gamified classroom, begin each course by
providing a pre-assessment. Based on performance on this pre-assessment, place
students in general leveled, themed groups. It is not advised to level students each unit
or to have students toggle between levels, since management of these changes is
nearly impossible keep-up, in the daily teacher grind.
When grouping the students, make sure to silently assign a performance level to
each of the themed groups. Consider leveling the groups by advanced, intermediate,
basic, and approaching.

Course Recommended Grouping Assessment

English I Honors or English I CP USATestPrep E.O.C. benchmark

English II CP or English II Honors For English II CP still use the USATestPrep

E.O.C. Benchmark. For English II Honors,
consider using an AP
Language/LIterature practice exam.

English III CP or English III Honors For English III CP consider using a
practice WorkKeys assessment found on
USATestPrep and utilize an ACT practice
assessment for Honors.

English IV CP or English IV Honors Utilize an ENG 101 final exam from a local
university or again utilize ACT/WorkKeys

Advanced Grammar/Grammar and Consider utilizing the NoRedInk Heat Map.

Composition

STEP III: The Points, the Power, the Prestige

 - Create an account and log on to ClassDojo.com. Dojo is a website that allows
teachers to create an avatar for each student. Using this avatar, teachers can
reward and deduct points for a student’s poor or perfect behavior. Once you
have loaded all your students, be sure to print out the parent access code cards,
located under Settings-->Connect with Parents. These codes allow parents to
access their student’s behavior and rewards in real time. These can be
distributed to parents via email or a print-out, offered to them at Parent Night or
Open House
- After loading all the students in Dojo, go ahead and edit the types of behaviors
you want to reward or correct. Do so by going to Settings ---> Edit Class ---> Skills
- Lastly, toggle from Student View to Group View on the avatar main screen.
Recreate your groups from STEP II. This now allows you to reward an entire
group, instead of just one individual student.
- The best part of Dojo are the reports. Simply click the “View Reports” tab and you
instantly have access to a record of a student’s behavior daily, weekly, monthly,
and even across the entire course
- At the beginning of the week, month, or even unit, set a goal for students to reach
in point value, individually or as a group. Create a reward based on this point goal
and share it with the student before beginning instruction.
-
HELPFUL TIP: Keep the Dojo avatar dashboard up and visible during blended lessons
or when you are rotating around the room. Using your Dell Venue tablet, walk around
and deduct/reward in real time, allowing students to see their projected performance.

So, What Skills Should I Reward and What Behaviors Should I Penalize?
Recommended Reward Skills Recommended Behaviors to Penalize
Dojo comes loaded with many negative Dojo comes loaded with many negative
behaviors to correct, these are additional behaviors to correct, these are additional
behaviors that may help to meet our behaviors that may help to meet our
school needs: school needs:

-Correct Use of Dell Latitude -Inappropriate Use of Dell Latitude

-Headphones Taken Out During -Uncharged Venue
Instruction -Youtube Surfing
-Charged Venue -Headphones During Instruction
-OverAchiever (Did More Digital Content -Incomplete Assignments
than Required) -Incomplete Digital Content
-Mastery on NoRedInk -Late from Lunch
-USATestPrep Leaderboard -Cell phone violation
-Blended like a Boss (Student effectively -Talk to the Face Cause You’re on
moved from station-to-station, while Facebook
staying on task)
Disclaimer:
While gamification and these rewards
can help to improve classroom
 management, always adhere to the Horry
County School’s Student Handbook in
regards to proper discipline and reporting
procedures, based on varying offenses.

STEP IV: Awarding Badges and Tangible Rewards

-If students reach milestones in point values, provide them with a distinctive
rewards, such as a snack, sitting in a special seat in the classroom, or allowing the
student to pick the background music for the day’s independent work time. Use
creativity and a reward system that is easy for you to tolerate and keep up with.

STEP V: Picking an Aid and Ally

-With each unit, a teacher can select a “Hand of the King” (Game of Thrones
themed) or a House Prefect (Harry Potter). Regardless of the name, this person is the
student in each group that performed the highest on the unit’s pre-assessment.
-This aid’s responsibility is to help classmates in their group who are struggling. In
a blended rotation, they might lead the small-group or collaboration efforts. During
review, this student might be the one who asks the questions, instead of answering
them.
-Rotate this student, each unit, in each group. If the same student consistently
scores the highest in their group, elevate a person who scored the highest in a particular
skill of an assessment
-Provide a unique reward for being the aid. This student, in exchange for their
assistance in the unit, might be able to exempt quiz or get to sit at the teacher desk.
-Have fun with the theme and provide the student with a unique piece of clothing
or item to wear. The prefect may be allowed to wear a Hogwarts robe all during the unit
or the Game of Thrones “Hand of the Kind” might be permitted to wear a crown.

Ready to Gamify?
● Remember, pick a theme, create groups, award points, provide rewards, and
create a classroom helper
● Be creative. Tell the students that the game doesn’t stop at the end of the class
bell. Students can even be rewarded around the building for behaving well at
an assembly (even in another teacher’s class)