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Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Improve Classroom Environment & Gamify Learning with Classcraft

Editor’s note:  This is a guest post from Sean Arnold (@seanmarnoldwho has had some of the greatest success as a teacher using games for instruction (especially students who struggle with traditional lecture-based learning models).

Now nearly three decades into the research, the impact of digital games for learning robustly shows the benefits. There are games that are even becoming FDA approved for treatments (see Project EVO for ADHD and the like and Sea Hero Quest for Alzheimer’s).

Many educational games though suffer the “chocolate covered broccoli” conundrum. It’s essentially just meaningless drill and kill repackaged with shiny lights or play time with no real educational value, assessment, or adaptation.

There are games that get it right though (think DragonBox math instead of Math Blasters). For years District 75, in New York City has been using simulation games like a 3D World (based on Second-Life) and Minecraft to teach real world concepts that might be too difficult, expensive, or risky to do in the physical world. In doing so we’ve found that the “playful learning” sticks even better. It’s essentially digital project-based learning that studies show is retained by students better.

A game I have found effective for behavior management is Classcraft. I’ve implemented other programs/ behavioral/ point systems both recommended by behavioral experts (yes D75 loves ABA and B.F. Skinner) and ones I created myself. For many the points / badges, while initially motivating, seem arbitrary over time because, unlike Classcraft, they are not connected to real life events. The external rewards systems (treats) lose effectiveness because they don’t eventually get linked with internal motivators (challenge, meaning, social connection, etc.).

Classcraft inherently incorporates those factors, and I personally saw the drastic success in affecting the behaviors of some of the most cognitively and behaviorally challenged students.
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If you were an early user of Classcraft, you may have found it confusing, but my geek factor probably got me involved using Classcraft early despite initial challenges that might have halted others. Today the class setup and management is much easier (the site was revamped last year and synced up with Google Classroom) and the support info, online training, and tutorial videos available along with class printables are much more robust.

Classcraft helped to totally shift my classroom dynamics for the better. l had formerly reticent students become class leaders and aggressive students now kindly asking for aid from the “healers” they needed help from who they previously may have bullied. It’s one thing to, as a teacher, encourage positive interactions and discourage negative behavior. I had students who mastered a lesson/skill begging to help their teammates to earn rewards. It’s a whole other thing to see students become internally motivated to change those behaviors on their own.

Yes, the kids love the costumes and powering up, but eventually, they began to see how those temporary benefits led to lasting changes in achievement and improved feelings of self-worth. 

13 comments:

  1. This is such a great idea! I love that the rewards and consequences are pre-established and alter the strength of the characters. The team aspect is an awesome motivator. It teaches shared responsibility and team work.

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  2. This is a fun idea for tech in the classroom, I wonder what age levels it would work best with. It would be interesting to see how it would work with high school students and how they would process through it and use it to their advantage. As a teacher this is a technology that I could see at work in the classroom. The team aspect of this could be used for the group project to encourage student motivation and teamwork.

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    1. Hi Adrienne,
      I'm one of the co-founders of Classcraft. Originally, it was developed in a high school class with grade 11 students. It was surprising how effective it was. Iid recommend giving it a shot. You might be surprised at the results.

      If you're ever interested in learning more about how it works, we're regularly giving IPPD trainings. Come join us!

      Cheers,
      Devin

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  3. I'm surprised I haven't heard of this before! Minecraft is so popular among students in my school. We currently use ClassDoJo to monitor behavior and give rewards. However, there is no game involved. I wonder how behavior would change if we used this instead. Any suggestions for how to have the ClassCraft talk with my administrators?

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    1. We'd be happy to! Just fill out the form on https://www.classcraft.com/districts/ and someone from our team will be happy to give your administrator a full demo and walk through the core concepts behind the approach.

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  4. I love the idea of using games to further the curriculum. Students would learn to work together and develop many skills that are reinforced by their fantastic elementary and middle school teachers. Could this be used effectively at the high school level and for how long? I only ask this question because my high school students seem to play games intensely for a while and then drop it for the next new game.

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  5. I love the idea of using games to further the curriculum. Students would learn to work together and develop many skills that are reinforced by their fantastic elementary and middle school teachers. Could this be used effectively at the high school level and for how long? I only ask this question because my high school students seem to play games intensely for a while and then drop it for the next new game.

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  6. SG Lewis,
    I agree with what you are saying. Also, I just checked out Classdojo and think it is great for younger students. While I see Classcraft as being more suitable for middle school students I can see Classdojo being used at the elementary level. I wonder if you know of any similar site that could be used at the high school level (grades 11-12 more specifically). Also, do you think using games would maintain the same high level of rigor that you might see in a high school AP course?
    Interested to hear back from anyone.

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  7. As a Special Education learning support teacher, I have worked with students from almost every grade level. I believe this application would work best in the late elementary and middle school settings.

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  8. Joseph Q,
    I do like ClassDoJo because it allows multiple teachers to be involved in each student's growth. I'm a specialist so my class time with students is short. ClassDoJo provides flexibility for teachers like me to quickly reward (or take away) points while students are working. Some of my young students really get into it.
    However, the students who need it most for motivation aren't very interested. I think those students might like ClassCraft better, even though they are elementary students. I'd need to do more research to find a similar program for high school students.

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    1. Hi SG Lewis,
      Classcraft also allows teachers to share students when it's rolled out at a building level. In terms of driving motivation, Classcraft is pretty unique in that when you level up for doing positive behaviors, you unlock real life powers like getting to eat in class or get to hand in an assignment a day late. You as the teacher can customize these but essentially, students unlock privileges when they progress. They also play in teams and can help each other out in the game. The social bonds can be quite powerful and drive more meaningful intrinsic motivation.

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  9. What a great idea the classroom! I love how you've been able to use it yourself and report positive feedback in classroom dynamics and behavior. I would imagine this gets students very excited. How did you introduce this to your students? Was it time consuming to launch in your classroom?

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  10. I really love the idea of gamifying the learning environment! As a third grade teacher, my students are really into computer games like Roblox and Minecraft, and I think they would really enjoy this. I have been using the group points system as a classroom management tool for several years, yet over time I am more in tune with the consequences and detrimental effects it has on the students. I think this will be a great way to get students cooperating and collaborating in a more authentic way. Thanks for sharing!

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