Learning Contents

The first step when you decide to gamify your classroom is to survey the class to choose the game or the way of teaching  that the students will be passionate about.

If they love Minecraft for example, you could implement creativity giving students a point system: find a mistake, answer correctly, do your homework on time, complete extra tasks bonus: homework pass, switch desk.

You should create a leaderboard on a whiteboard, using google or powerpoint or on a bulletin board. You could also decide to use code names so everything becomes more mysterious. The points which are assigned , students should have the opportunity to choose a lot of activities to earn points , so every student can play in a different way.

The points have to be added to a score system / or grading system. It is a great way to

get students motivated.

You can also use badges for different levels and recognize student’s accomplishments; once mastered a certain skill, students can go for another badge. These can be displayed on a board so everyone can see it. Students can be involved in creating their own badges and how to get them.

You can create games like scavenger hunt or hidden tasks,  music contests or quizzes.  It all depends on the kind of student you have in front of you. The tasks /games have to be useful, never boring or too easy to achieve. The goal is to have students be inspired to challenge and to be interested in participating during  the whole  learning process, which necessarily also includes traditional learning strategies like reading or memorizing, but in an appealing  way.

After reading a test they could answer some questions through a Google form.

Another idea is questlines, this could be an idea for a report where students can choose their own way of creating a text for a report where they can choose between different options ( real-phantasy, first person-third person..)

Current event task: asking everyday new questions about current events giving points for the most exciting news or for particular information.

Another idea could be mission QR codes: the teacher hides qr codes and the students have to find them in the school area; every code should contain a special activity,  something to learn or bonus points.

Classic and digital games online can also be used to stimulate students’ phantasy: Vocab bingo, Yahtzee, Bamboozle, Minecraft, Funbrain, Wikipedia link game.

If you want to assess individual students, or to have students make their own creations, a useful tool can be Flippity, which easily turns any Google spreadsheet into flashcards, a badge creator, a spelling quiz, a memory game, a word search, and more. Another   online tool for creating learning activities is Wordwall. where you can find and receive a variety of ready-made, fully customisable activities such as quizzes, word games, maze chases and much more.

A really ductile tool to create varied l kinds of digital teaching materials and resources and personalize them is Genially. Here you can find lots of unit plans, presentations and video presentations, concept and mind maps, infographics, interactive images, timelines, comics, comparatives, and portfolios. With Genially, you can adapt any game template to any level or subject. Lots of Genially’s gamification templates include a reward system to incentivize students to persevere and improve.

To make mathematics or science lessons more interesting, for example, you can access HmH to find support for educators who want to  build lifelong learners, and shape the future of education. Here a lot of interesting science lesson plans  can be found,  for example: The Science in Science Fiction a Strategy for Integrating Sci-Fi in the Classroom. In this way you immerse students in the wonders of their world, encouraging them to think like scientists and helping them build STEM skills.

Escape rooms are  popular activities which can be done by several participants. Locked in a room symbolizing a closed place and the participants must work together to investigate and solve the puzzles that will allow them to escape in a limited time. It is a great way to practice reflection, cooperation and  imagination..

2.1   Creating competition within the classroom

A nice example to get started with could be a competition contest between Teacher and Students:  Students must follow a rule that the teacher sets.

Anytime a student follows the rule, the Class gets a point.

Anytime a student does not follow a rule, the teacher gets a point.

This is particularly great for introducing procedures and behavioral expectations. If the Class wins, use a sustainable reward, such as a 5-minute break,  or assign less homework.

School educators should think about  creating competitive situations artificially because in  the working world  the students will be  exposed to competition  that has to be learned and accepted.  Teachers can  encourage  students to think and treat one another in a fair way, respecting the given rules and gaining self respect.

We live in a competitive environment and we continue to create a more competitive future. But if we work together in an orderly and coordinated system we can reach the aim.