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Hi, I'm Elsa, I live in a small city in Algarve - Portugal. I'm a Primary English Teacher, I teach English as a second language (3rd and 4th grade). I like to use different ideias in my classes and to motivate my students, that's why I'm here...

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http://www.cartoonize.net/avatar.htm
https://www.geocaching.com/play
http://www.flippity.net/
scratch.mit.edu

https://www.ucl.ac.uk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBdlwOAIJ4w

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Module 1
Gamification is a recipe for fun and engaging learning that uses game mechanisms. The main idea of gamification is to take the engaging elements of gaming, like the challenge, the element of chance, the competition, the cooperation, the feedback, the rewards, the winning or the progression, and implement them into the teaching process. Let us look at five typical game mechanisms in more detail:

1. Interaction and feedback: Games are interactive experiences and every action of a player provides some form of feedback.

2. Risk-taking and failure: Feedback in games is non-threatening because it is “risk-free”. Negative feedback (e.g. dying in a video game) is not perceived as a big issue because the player can easily start again or load a previous saved game.

3. Customisation: Many (video) games have different difficulty levels, thereby allowing the player to customise their experience.

4. Ownership: Most games allow for multiple strategies to succeed, giving the player ownership of the path to take.

5. System thinking: Games require the player to understand a system’s rules and relationships, rather than focus on isolated facts, events, or skills. A player must consider their strategy in the context of the system.

https://academiccolab.org/resources/documents/Good_Learning.pdf

https://goodvertising.site/the-fun-theory/

Module 2

Game-Based Learning (GBL) describes an approach to teaching where students explore relevant aspect of games in a learning context designed by the game or their teacher.
Game-based learning can occur with the use of digital or non-digital games.
However, you should also consider the following important questions to evaluate a game’s learning potential:

1. What is your goal and how does this fit with your curriculum goals? For example, are you aiming to cover content or develop a skill by using the game? Your answers to such questions should direct you in your evaluation.

2. What are the game mechanics? Do they promote experimentation? Do they offer progression? How “free” is the player to find different solutions/paths?

3. Is the game engaging for students?

4. How much time does the game take to play? Does this fit with your lesson or homework time? Does it fit with your curriculum timetable?

5. What thematic links can you make to the game’s content?

6. What skills do students need to succeed in the game?

7. Can students customise the game? Does a possible customisation impede the student from achieving the goals you’ve set? Does the process of customisation develop certain skills?

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/03/28/evaluate-educational-games-830/2/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=104&v=jG3_odLdspY

https://toolkit-gbl.com/downloads/guidebook

Serious gamescan be defined as games in which education (in its various forms) is the primary goal, rather than entertainment (Michael and Chen, 2006).

https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/uni/index_en.cfm

Module 3
Have you ever thought of creating Escape Room-style experiences in your classroom? A themed narrative that presents your students with Escape Room-inspired puzzles and challenges can encourage critical thinking, teamwork and communication skills, along with reinforcing subject matter expertise. Escape Rooms also generate anintrinsic motivation to learn. Usually, high-order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) are required to tackle the challenges, meaning that students have the opportunity to solve problems that engage them in a deeper level.

The main ingredients of an escape room in the classroom are:

A purpose – there is always a mystery to be solved or a goal to be reached

Clues – a series of puzzles or questions to solve that lead you to the goal

Time limit – the time limit drives motivation and focus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CKWHRA9K8s&feature=youtu.be
https://sites.google.com/site/642toolbox/civinclassroom

Module 3
There is little doubt that developing our students’ creativity should be a key goal of what we do. Not only is creativity seen as a key skill required for the modern workplace, developing creative capacity in our students also improves their confidence and responsibility. It also comes with many other benefits such as physical and psychological health improvements, improved resilience in the face of difficulties, and even lower levels of aggression (Richards, 2007, p.9).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=133&v=oQvcbLmNfok

http://www.museoscienza.org/tinkering-eu/resources.asp

https://www.exploratorium.edu/tinkering

Module 4
design thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems in an attempt to identify alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with our initial level of understanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=198&v=hvqST2ggvA0

Neurophysiological studies show that repetition and practice help to strengthen the connections of the wiring in the brain, which helps with retaining information or learning. That’s why many educators try to develop a concrete basis for their learning by beginning their lesson with a review of what was covered before. Could gamification bring an extra value to this usually quite boring task for both students and teachers?

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When I was a child I really liked to play outdoors. My favourite games were hopscotch and elastic game. It was really nice because all my friends joined the game and we laughed a lot. Beside socialization, these games also developed some skills, such as motor coordination, and attention.
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The videos and the examples are very good! In my classes I use traditional games (dominoes, bingo, cards) and sometimes I use Learning Apps to create my own games. But I think this is not realy gamification, as it doens't have any big structure. However, I think that it is possible to create something like the science class in english classes too. I just need to think a little more.
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Well, it's true that most of the time I'm in the front of the class. I usualy explain  or introduce the content/vocabulary, but then the students practice some exercises by their own or sometimes in groups and I walk around the class for any help they may need. We also do some games, but usually I'm in control too. After seeing the videos I think things could be different.
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Strict classes doesn't allow students to be free, to be creative. Children need a relaxing environment to free their minds. When I need my students to be creative I usualy turn on a relaxing music, then I ask them to have a big breath, to close their eyes for a few minutes, just breathing and listening to the music. When they feel relaxed and confident they open their eyes and start their creation activity. Using games also allows children to be themselves, to learn about working in a team, to deal with emotions, etc.
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I think teachers face a lot of challenges: too many students in class; a long curriculum and objectives to teach; lack of time; lack of technological devices; parents doesn't understand this new way of teaching.
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In my experience, I use different ways  of granding. Sometimes with stars or sticker, other with points or badges, or even a certificate. I think there are several ways of doing it, it depends on the ages of the students. The important thing is to give students feedback of their progress.

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My students are used to play traditional/simple games at the end of each content, in order to consolidate what they have learnt. This is always a very good moment of sharing knowledge, socializing , solving problems... It is always very good for SEN, as they get integrated and it is easy for them to learn in group and by a game. Several issues are being developed  there...
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I usually play miming, drawing or word challenges, sometimes Individual battles, against one or more teams. I also use  the Learning Apps, where I create my own games (ex: https://learningapps.org/display?v=pa1fh05z519). I think they can be considered as a serious game as it's main purpose is education.
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I have already experienced a treasure hunt with clues with my students, but I never tried a Escape room or geocaching. I think it's very dificult for me, as a primary English teacher try the geocaching, but maybe a could try the escape room with some of my 4th year classes.
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As an ESL teacher at primary schools I think it is difficult to use video games as serious game.  I'm not  familiar with them but with such good ideas we are all gathering here I hope I can use these kinds of games one day.
The only games I use are the traditional games, board games or Learning Apps (as I told you about): https://learningapps.org/display?v=pa1fh05z519
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I teach 3th and 4th grade and some students don't have PC at home or Iphones, so I was thinking about homework be a stage of a game. At this moment they are learning about clothes. The class could be divided into groups. Each group could have a doll to dress on, but they only get each piece of cloth when they achieve a task. Homework could be one of a task, like a stage of the game.

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In my classes, in each contect they learn, students are asked to prepare a poster or some creative work related with what they have learnt, to share with the all class.
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I have never created something like that. It looks very interesting but I have to think how could I use it in my ESL classes.
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I've never used Minecraft. I really don't know how could I use it in my classes. First, because of the lack of computers,  second because my students are from early ages. I need to know the game better.
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I think there are several ways to certify creativity. Students can use some applications to use creativity ( tagul, buncee, sway, animoto, storyjumper...). they can join points by using it and we can give them a certificate, for example.
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I teach in a Primary School, they are very young students; I also have only 2h/week  with each class and a long curriculum to teach; we don't have phisical conditions to do this in classes too; I don't have enough knowledge and time to create games using technolodgy. So, as you can see, there are several problems... However, I can try to involve my students in the process of creating some board games or traditional games.
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I think it is very interesting and useful. It engages students, it makes them think and create, they can face some problems and learn how to deal with them finding solutions. In my classes I can think about this but only in a way of crosswords, wordsearch, etc.
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I don't have experience with game designed tools, specialy with Scratch. I'm trying to learn some but it takes time...
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Well, in general I think competition is good, because it creates team work and teach them to overcome their issues. But rules must be very clear and they have to know very well what is expected from them. In my case, as ESL teacher with 3rd and 4th grade, I think a revising game is very useful to motivate students and "repetition and practice help to strengthen the connections of the wiring in the brain, which helps with retaining information or learning".

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The role of the teachers   are like coordinators and the students get more active. Students learn to fail and to find solution, they learn how to work in group, how to cooperate with each other and become motivated. The idea of a reward is necessary as a symbole of achieving something.
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a model of the conditions necessary for learning to take place. The six learning types are: Read/Write/Listen (or Acquisition), Inquiry, Practice, Production, Discussion and Collaboration. In principle, a good learning design will contain a mix of all of these types of learning
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A link to my lesson plan:
https://v.gd/mRi1cj