Gamification of the classroom to help 'digital natives' learn

The gamification of learning is likely to be one of the next big trends for educational technology as schools have begun to diversify the curriculum in an attempt to inspire pupils bored with traditional textbooks.

For children who are digital natives, technology is a daily part of their lives outside school and gamification combines elements such as scoring points or winning a prize with educational tasks as a means to engage pupils.

Studies have found that gamification can lead to positive changes in pupils’ behaviour and keeps them motivated – the method has been applied in UAE schools already.

Habeeb Mustafa, a digital coach at Kings School Al Barsha, said there is a shift globally and locally towards fostering 21st-century skills and bringing technology into the classroom.

“Gamification is a way [to use]tried and tested techniques in a class-based context to engage the learner more. It enriches the learner and simulates pupils more than text-based questions,” Mr Mustafa said.

“The child isn’t limited to having to read a textbook and it captures their imagination learning in many different ways.

“This particularly helps children who may not respond to traditional academic methods, such as those with special needs.”

The coach said that adding time pressures and competitive scoring to tests or quizzes engages pupils more than traditional methods.

The learning games often involve maps, quizzes, singing and dancing, and teachers report that children respond well.

The lessons of the future are broader than we ever imagined

School curriculums in desperate need of modernisation, claims eight-year-old

Games like Classcraft, which allows pupils to create a character and work with classmates to earn special powers, and Kahoot!, which lets them create multiple-choice quizzes, have become increasingly popular in schools all over the world.

Classcraft transforms the virtual learning environment into a game-based one – the syllabus is replaced by a map and pupils interact with guests on the map while they earn points, prizes and sanctions on their behaviour.

There are challenges to introducing games into the classroom, however, such as making sure the games work, firewall issues or if those in charge simply do not see the value in using the technology. And some people may not want to change the way they work.

“If you see the everyday life of a teacher they don’t have too much time, but they need new pedagogical thinking and that’s where games come in,” said Riku Alkio, chief executive of Seppo, an educational tool to create games.

“If you gamify the content, the pupil gets much more autonomy in learning.

“You activate pupils in an informal way and leave a place for creativity so that not everything has to be done by the rules.

“Gamification is everywhere. It’s a normal way of engaging people.”

Last week, a pupil in Dubai, Adam Al Rafey, 8, called for schools to modernise the curriculum at the Global Education Supplies and Solution conference in the emirate.

“If homework was a game, that would be really good,” he said. “We do use educational games but there should be more to make learning more fun.”

Baftas 2020 winners

BEST FILM

1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae

DIRECTOR

1917 - Sam Mendes
THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
JOKER - Todd Phillips
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
SORRY WE MISSED YOU - Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
THE TWO POPES - Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

THE FAREWELL - Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur

LEADING ACTRESS

JESSIE BUCKLEY - Wild Rose
SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
SAOIRSE RONAN - Little Women
CHARLIZE THERON - Bombshell
RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy

LEADING ACTOR

LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes

SUPPORTING ACTOR

TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
AL PACINO - The Irishman
JOE PESCI - The Irishman
BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho

DOCUMENTARY

AMERICAN FACTORY - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
THE GREAT HACK - Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaime

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)

ANIMATED FILM

FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen

CASTING

JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

AWKWAFINA
JACK LOWDEN
KAITLYN DEVER
KELVIN HARRISON JR.
MICHEAL WARD

CINEMATOGRAPHY

1917 - Roger Deakins
THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
JOKER - Lawrence Sher
LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke

EDITING

THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
JOKER - Jeff Groth
LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin

COSTUME DESIGN

THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
JUDY - Jany Temime
LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips

PRODUCTION DESIGN

1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh

SOUND

1917 - Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
JOKER - Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
ROCKETMAN - Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood

ORIGINAL SCORE

1917 - Thomas Newman
JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

1917 - Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
THE IRISHMAN - Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy

MAKE UP & HAIR

1917 - Naomi Donne
BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou

BRITISH SHORT FILM

AZAAR - Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
KAMALI - Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
THE MAGIC BOAT - Naaman Azh

SERIES SCHEDULE

First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6