Keynote presentation given at the 7th Virtual Round Table conference - April 27th 2014

1. Gamifying the Language Classroom
Graham Stanley
blogefl@gmail.com
http://blog-efl.blogspot.com
7th
Virtual Round Table, April 27th
2014 http://bit.ly/1mMHshB

3. https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelhall

4. https://www.zombiesrungame.com/
Run for points or run for your life?

6. http://www.rexbox.co.uk/epicwin/

7. http://foursquare.com/

8. What is Gamification
the application of typical elements of game
playing (e.g., point scoring, competition with
others, rules of play) to other areas of activity
gamification usually encourages behaviour
with instant, positive feedback
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lalie_mslee

9. Gamification in language teaching is not new
https://www.flickr.com/photos/benchun/

10. So, what is new?
http://www.theoryoffun.com/
http://artofgamedesign.com/

11. What Gamification can you do
in the Language Classroom?
“Instead of bookwork, homework and tasks” set “missions, quests and
challenges...instead of grades” give “points and badges” Shelly Terrell (2014)
http://www.slideshare.net/ShellTerrell/gamifying-learning
By the “changing of what may seem a dull learning exercise into something
which seems fun instead because it can be played" and provide students with
the "illusion of game play...by adding game elements, dynamics and mechanics
to the learning activity.Karenne Sylvester (2014)
http://blog-efl.blogspot.com/2014/04/iatefl-harrogate-online-karenne.html
Introduce levels to your classroom and use “achievements for classroom
management situations, such as everyone completing homework assignments
on time or full class attendance for a lesson. Successfully earning an
achievement results in gaining a ‘level’ and repeating the same achievement will
mean ‘levelling up’.” Dave Dodgeson (2012)
http://www.davedodgson.com/2012/09/taking-classroom-management-to-next.html
Introduce “experience points (XP)...in place of...a grading system”
James York (2012)
http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/2012/02/24/gaming-the-efl-classroom/

12. Gamification & adaptive learning
http://adaptivelearninginelt.wordpress.com/2014/01/27/part-3-gamification/
https://www.duolingo.com/

13. http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/2011/03/28/gamify-your-classroom-with-chore-wars/
http://www.chorewars.com/
2011
My Experience

14. http://gamingtheclassroom.wordpress.com/
http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/2012/04/20/unlocked-achievements/
2012Unlocked achievements

15. http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/2011/11/04/reward-or-punishment-gamification-with-class-dojo/
http://www.classdojo.com/
2012

16. https://game.classcraft.com/
http://worldofclasscraft.com/
http://3dgamelab.com/
since
then...

17. 2013

18. Results
Few of the learners (12-13 years-old) liked
reading books (Q4) or writing extended
texts (Q7). Speaking for an extended time
(Q11 & Q12) was also disliked by most of
the class.
The learners also perceived reading
books (Q4), producing long pieces of
written work (Q7) and speaking for an
extended time (Q11 & Q12) as being very
difficult to do.

19. 2013
http://pencilkids.com/droppygame.html
http://demandhighelt.wordpress.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/bcgstanley/droppy-promoting-speaking-with-an-online-game

21. Leaderboards
It's common for participants at
lower levels in a leaderboard to
become demotivated – this
happened and can be seen left.
5 out of the 13 learners started
to feel that writing a lot didn't
really matter and that they could
not catch up to the others.
I tried to help counter this by
making more than one way of
'winning' the game. To some
extent, adding 'Achievement'
badges helped do this and
those learners who had lost
interest started to participate
with enthusiasm again.
Towards the end of term
though, the same learners, and
one more (Marina) has started
to lose interest again, so I did
not continue the speed-writing in
the second term.

22. Results: Writing

23. Results: Speaking

24. Using the IWB to
support gamification in
order to enhance writing
fluency in the second
language classroom
2014

25. https://www.flickr.com/photos/centralasian/8218050435/in/photostream
http://www.bogost.com/blog/gamification_is_bullshit.shtml
The Case Against
“Gamification is marketing bullshit, invented by consultants
as a means to capture the wild, coveted beast that is
videogames and to domesticate it for use in the grey,
hopeless wasteland of big business, where bullshit already
reigns anyway.”
“Game developers and players have critiqued gamification
on the grounds that it gets games wrong, mistaking
incidental properties like points and levels for primary
features like interactions with behavioral complexity. “
Ian Bogost (2011)
“With most gamified systems and processes the feedback is provided in the form of a simple,
superficial layer of points, badges and other rewards that are not contextually integral to
the activity itself..”
“Over the short term this approach may lead to measurable outcomes as students make an
effort to perform better in order to achieve better results, or more attendance points. The
unintended consequence of this is that it frames learning as being an action of
accumulation...the age-old carrot and stick metaphor in which learners are conditioned to
act and behave in certain ways...which externalizes motivation through the promise of
extrinsic reward.” Paul Driver (2012)
http://digitaldebris.info/2011/12/31/the-irony-of-gamification-written-for-ied-magazine.html

26. Motivation & teenagers
In the classroom, when an activity is not intrinsically
motivating as a video game is, other strategies are
necessary.
In an ideal world, inborn curiosity would be enough to
make all learners eager to learn (Dornyei, 2001) and
the classroom would be a constant source of intrinsic
pleasure.
However, this is usually far from the reality a teacher,
in particular a teacher of teenagers, finds in the
classroom.

27. Extrinsic Motivation
Early research indicates that extrinsic rewards were to
be avoided because they undermine intrinsic interest
This overly simplistic view has now been modified with
researchers believing that extrinsic motives which have
been 'sufficiently internalised' are now seen being
complimentary to intrinsic interest.
What does seem important to avoid is rewarding
learners to simply participating in an activity rather than
for achieving specific goals.
(Dorneyei, 2001)

28. Extrinsic Motivation
Early research indicates that extrinsic rewards were to
be avoided because they undermine intrinsic interest
This overly simplistic view has now been modified with
researchers believing that extrinsic motives which
have been 'sufficiently internalised' are now seen
being complimentary to intrinsic interest.
What does seem important to avoid is rewarding
learners to simply participating in an activity rather
than for achieving specific goals.
(Dorneyei, 2001)

29. Motivation and games
Games are primarily motivating when players
experience large degrees of autonomy,
competence and relatedness when playing.
Ryan, Rigby & Przybylski (2006)
Final words
Gamification has much to offer the teacher when it
comes to using extrinsic motivators, especially when
used to make something that usually isn't fun into
something that is fun.

30. Further Reading: Gamification & ELT

Gamifying ELT http://gamifyingelt.wordpress.com/

Digital Play blog (Gamification) http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/?s=gamification

Gamification in TESOL (Facebook group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Gamification.in.TESOL/

'Gamification and language learning', ELTJam:
http://www.eltjam.com/its-in-the-game-gamification-and-language-learning-pt-1-of-2

Driver (2012) 'The Irony of Gamification'
http://digitaldebris.info/2011/12/31/the-irony-of-gamification-written-for-ied-magazine.html

Stanley (Bloomsbury Academic, 2014) 'Using the IWB to support gamification in order to
enhance writing in the secondary language class ' in Cutrim Schmidt & Whyte Teaching
Languages with Technology: Communicative Approaches to Interactive Whiteboard Use

York (2012) 'English Quest' Modern English Teacher, Vol.21 No.4

31. Further Reading: Gamification & ELT

Gamifying ELT http://gamifyingelt.wordpress.com/

Digital Play blog (Gamification) http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/?s=gamification

Gamification in TESOL (Facebook group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Gamification.in.TESOL/

'Gamification and language learning', ELTJam:
http://www.eltjam.com/its-in-the-game-gamification-and-language-learning-pt-1-of-2

Driver (2012) 'The Irony of Gamification'
http://digitaldebris.info/2011/12/31/the-irony-of-gamification-written-for-ied-magazine.html

Mozuku (blog) Gamification & ELT http://mozuku.edublogs.org/category/gamification/

Stanley (Bloomsbury Academic, 2014) 'Using the IWB to support gamification in order to
enhance writing in the secondary language class ' in Cutrim Schmidt & Whyte Teaching
Languages with Technology: Communicative Approaches to Interactive Whiteboard Use

York (2012) 'English Quest' Modern English Teacher, Vol.21 No.4

32. Further Reading: Gamification

Kapp (2012) The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based methods and
strategies for training and education

Marczewski (2012) Gamification: A Simple Introduction & A Bit More

Sheldon (Cengage, 2012) The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing coursework as a Game

Werbach & Hunter (Wharton Digital Press, 2012) For the win

Zichermann & Cunningham (O'Reilly, 2011) Gamification by Design

33. Further Reading: Game-Based Language Learning

Mawer & Stanley (2011) Digital Play
http://www.deltapublishing.co.uk/titles/methodology/digital-play

Reinders (ed.) (Palgrave, 2012) Digital Games in Language Learning and Teaching

Sykes & Reinhardt (Pearson, 2013) Language at Play: Digital Games in Second and Foreign
Language Teaching and Learning

34. Further Reading: Game-Based Learning

Bartle (New Riders, 2004) Designing Virtual Worlds

Gee (Palgrave, 2003) What Digital Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy

Gee (Routledge, 2004) Situated Language and Learning: A critique of traditional
schooling

Gee (Peter Lang, 2007) Good Video Games + Good Learning: Collected Essays

Gee (Common Ground, 2005) Why video games are good for your soul

Prensky (Paragon House, 2001) Digital game-based learning

Prensky (Paragon House, 2006) Don't Bother Me Mom – I'm Learning!

35. Further Reading: Game-Based Learning

Bartle (New Riders, 2004) Designing Virtual Worlds

Gee (Palgrave, 2003) What Digital Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy

Gee (Routledge, 2004) Situated Language and Learning: A critique of traditional
schooling

Gee (Peter Lang, 2007) Good Video Games + Good Learning: Collected Essays

Gee (Common Ground, 2005) Why video games are good for your soul

Prensky (Paragon House, 2001) Digital game-based learning

Prensky (Paragon House, 2006) Don't Bother Me Mom – I'm Learning!

36. Further Reading: Motivation

Deci & Ryan (Plenum, 1985) Intrinsic motivation and self determination in human
behavior

Dörnyei, Z. (CUP, 2001) Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom

Dörnyei, Z. (Longman, 2001) Teaching and Researching Motivation

Rigby & Ryan (Praeger, 2011) Glued to games: how video games draw us in and hold us
spellbound

Ryan, Rigby & Przybylski (2006) 'The motivational pull of video games: A self-
determination theory approach' Motivation and Emotion, 30, 347-364