Countless studies have found that teachers are struggling to support students in maintaining focus, finding self-worth and being intrinsically creative learners. Gamification provides the building blocks for engagement, community, healthy competition, and self motivation and works with any grade level and any subject. With gamification, students can use their creativity in learning choices and earn incentives based around curricular and extracurricular themes. Student examples from a sixth grade science classroom include review challenges that emphasize content and game elements. Participants in this session will gain the initial building blocks to create their own game for their classrooms that is manageable and can be enhanced over time. Activities will include defining gamification and creating their own game theme. During the session the participant will participate in a game challenge by using a choice board to explore and expand the strategies and methods of gamification.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will begin the journey, learning strategies of engagement in science class using gamification.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Simmons (Klahowya Secondary School: Silverdale, WA)