Here is a dissenting voice - Barbara Bray on the gamified classrooom...good to read from time to time, as sometimes the objections are valid - or arguments need to be made to counter the objections: This would be an interesting piece to go through and argue against.
http://barbarabray.net/2013/12/30/this-time-its-personal-and-dangerous/
http://barbarabray.net/2013/12/30/this-time-its-personal-and-dangerous/
Speaking as a former homeschooling mother (and autodidact), the article simply highlights the IDEAL intersection between gamified learning and traditional classroom management: the MISUNDERSTOOD or MISSING information for a single, particular student.
ReplyDeleteSay you're working on teaching homophones, "too, to, and two" in English. If the student -- for any reason -- doesn't understand the difference in usage between "to" and "too", they're not going to be ready for the concept of a homophone, as they think you're talking about the same thing in two different sentences. Set the kid to work on a customized, game-based learning activity INSTEAD of the "regular assignment", while you shepherd the majority of the classroom through the planned lesson. Check as privately as possible for comprehension and usage, then reintroduce the new concept,"homophone". I've found that it really only took 4-5 minutes to "catch up" at that point, including acknowledging and supporting the student's work. Getting to that "caught up" moment, however, can be like kicking over a hornet's nest!
No educational environment, no pedagogy, is without drawbacks. Teachers are invaluable not for the facts taught, but for their experience and willingness to combine methods to provide what *that* student needs at that moment to progress in a topic.