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37GAMIFICATION OF EDUCATION: FORMAL AND INFORMAL SPASE
Chaika O.
Lecturer, Department of Ukrainian studies BOGOMOLETSNATIONAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
Kyiv, Ukraine
Abstract
The time of innovative technologies and changes throws us constant challenges, forcing us to look for new forms and methods of teaching. The latest learning technologies include not only a general approach to the education system (for example, the Bologna Process), but also the creation of some modern educational approaches in the issues of: assessment of knowledge, technologies and teaching methods.
Keywords: gamification, gamification of education, aspects, elements, forms, terms of gamification of education.
Introduction
Since the inception of the first universities, education has become one of the most important spheres of human society. In spite of the fact that changes are constantly taking place in the world, the forms and methods of human activity (including in the sphere of education) are changing, the aim of education remains to provide quality education. Unfortunately, changes in the higher education system are not infrequent, since these changes are practically time consuming and there is considerable internal resistance.
As a result, the approaches to training that have been used for a long time become obsolete and lose their relevance. Due to the fact that modern students live in an interactive game environment, they are not interested in learning new information through time-consuming educational programs. Therefore, the introduction of the latest learning technologies to improve the quality and future development of Ukraine's higher education system is a very pressing issue.
The latest learning technologies include not only a general approach to the education system (for example, the Bologna Process), but also the creation of some modern educational approaches in the issues of: assessment of knowledge, technologies and teaching methods. At the present stage of information society development, the following main trends are distinguished: distance and mobile learning, interactive textbooks, video game training, MOOC, augmented reality, cloud LMS, BigData, gamification, personalization.
The purpose of the article. The aim of the article is to investigate the essence of the concept of "gamifi-cation", to compare the traditional approach of learning and gamification, to determine its advantages and disadvantages, to investigate the state of gamification in Ukraine, to identify the main trends in the development of gamification of formal and non-formal education.
Presentation of the basic material. Intensive process of development in all spheres of our society enables the change of status of foreign languages in higher professional education, which encourages not only to change teaching methods (transfer from verbatim to the communicative-pragmatic). Today, it is important not to simply absorb information, but to use it as a basis for further self-improvement in their chosen field of activity. Therefore, the objectives and content of teaching foreign languages in institutions of higher education
become focused on a specialty profile and assume a continuous search of ways of increase of efficiency of educational process. One of these forms of learning that meets the needs and demands of the time, was gamifi-cation. For most teachers the process of gamification has become a significant supplement and extension of traditional learning, while others saw in it the potential to change the entire educational paradigm, interactive learning system, which provides minimal interference from the teacher, or even its complete absence. Term, methods and the basic principles of gamification have come to us from foreign studies and, above all, concerned business areas [5; 6], but is not limited to it. Fundamental, in particular, were Karl Kapp's researches , which, thanks to gamification changed approaches and methods of the learning process.
The significant potential of using game mechanisms in a non-game context, in particular educational, has become a common practice and an extremely effective learning tool, which has attracted the attention of domestic researchers. In particular, N. Kravets explores the stages of creating a gamified system in the educational process of higher education institutions [1], O. Tkachenko considers the gamification of formal and non-formal education [3].
The use of games in the educational process is not a new phenomenon, as they not only diversify the routine performance of typical exercises and tasks, but also significantly increase motivation, stimulate cognitive activity and satisfy a person's natural inclinations to play. In essence, the game is an ideal learning environment that activates mental activity, encourages nonstandard decisions. In the form of a game, a person gains the necessary experience, explores the limits of what is possible and gets the right to make a mistake, because there is always the opportunity to start the game again. The real value of gamification is that the game principle contributes to the creation of a conscious learning experience. Among the many definitions of the term "gamification" we are impressed by the interpretation of K. Kapp, who sees in this process the implementation of the principles of game mechanics, aesthetics and thinking in order to involve students in active educational process, increase motivation and solve certain problems [4]. The game, like the educational process, follows certain "rules".
The purpose of any game is to accomplish the tasks by overcoming various difficulties and obstacles. The educational process is also focused on achieving educational goals by performing certain exercises and tasks of varying difficulty. In the game, it is important to monitor each stage, because the player's next steps depend on the results already achieved. This statement is also true of learning. Successful completion of each stage is a guarantee of the appropriate level of formation of certain skills and abilities. The essence of gamification is that the elements of the game are not used in the game environment, i.e indirectly related to the acquisition of knowledge and skills.
First of all, we are talking about cognitive interest, interactive interaction and a high level of motivation, which leads to an increase in the level of knowledge and improvement of skills and abilities. The fact that modern youth was born in an era of total computerization, where the Internet, along with all electronic devices and games, is an integral part of life, also speaks in favor of gamification. Therefore, it is logical and appropriate to use this fact in the educational process. Moreover, it should be noted that the scope of application of gaming technology is actually unlimited today. You can gamify any area, complex and routine activities, non-game context, which is usually characterized by low motivation. This process aims not only to interest the individual and make exciting routine activities from driving a car to memorizing a large amount of information, but also to leave a person in the real world, allowing him to improve the skills and abilities he needs.
Due to its peculiarities, the process of gamification becomes a promising innovative means of increasing the foreign language competence of students of higher education institutions both during distance, independent and classroom work. For example, it is no secret that the filling of distance learning courses in a foreign language is dominated by textual and grammatical forms of presentation of educational material, which does not contribute to increasing the already low level of learning motivation and development of foreign language skills. Even those students who have sufficient vocabulary and are well versed in grammar have significant difficulties in communicating. At the same time, remote technologies contain much wider opportunities for the implementation of game mechanisms, allowing you to combine graphics, sound, text, and so on. This, in turn, not only increases the interest in mastering a foreign language, but also in many cases allows students to "immerse" in a foreign language environment and promotes the formation and development of foreign language communication skills. However, it is important to remember that the introduction of game elements in a foreign language class is difficult to call a gamification process.
First of all, the teacher should guide students to achieve a clear goal, and then, if possible, personalize the game content, taking into account its four main components [2, p. 140]: interaction (a wide range of techniques that provide social interaction between users), dynamics (use of an exciting scenario that would attract users and stimulate their response in real time),
mechanics (use of virtual rewards, statuses, points, levels and other elements characteristic of the game process) and aesthetics (creating a general game atmosphere that promotes emotional enthusiasm). The term "gamification" is mostly associated with electronic or video games, but it is not a key condition of the process. Even in the absence of the necessary equipment, you can gamify the process of learning a foreign language. However, this requires careful preparation on the part of the teacher:
1. It is necessary to determine the purpose for which the activities of students are aimed, but it should not be short-term. For example, improving skills in working with professional texts.
2. Achieving this goal should be divided into stages that can be tracked. The advantage is that the teacher can individualize and specify this process according to the level and needs of the group.
3. The next stage is the process of designing and developing the game itself, like a board game with a graphical representation of each of the levels.
4. Each of the students has the opportunity to present themselves. For the convenience of students, you can divide them into subgroups, give them names, or choose an avatar.
5. The teacher needs to think about a system of bonuses and rewards for the correct timely or additional performance of certain tasks, passing stages.
6. Group participation in the gamification process will only help build team spirit and maintain a general playing atmosphere.
As an example of educational gamification during students' independent work, we can single out the use of the Quizlet platform, which combines the possibility of learning a foreign language online. Beginner users translate basic, simple sentences, while experienced ones get more complex tasks. As a result of such "work", each of them develops foreign language skills according to their level. Users first learn vocabulary, then consolidate all the knowledge gained in exercises and tasks such as translation, spelling and reading. By learning the language in this way, students receive points for each lesson or translated content. The site also has statistics on how long it took the user to complete the task. Because the system is adaptive, it tracks all activities - lessons, translations, testing and workshops - to provide feedback to the student and plan further activities. However, the use of educational platforms such as DuoLingo is mostly aimed at the development of language rather than communication skills, and is limited to mostly everyday topics.
In addition, more interesting and challenging tasks are available for a fee. But the most significant disadvantage, in our opinion, is that the teacher is deprived of the opportunity to modify the educational process according to the needs and requests of students, and therefore can use these resources only as additional tools. However, today there are many open platforms that can be easily integrated into the educational process, building an individual trajectory by creating interactive games, quests and quizzes based on them. For example, with the help of Content Generator (http: // contentgen-erator.net), choosing one of 15 templates, the teacher
can create a series of interactive exercises and games in order to learn the vocabulary of the lesson. In practical terms, this is easy to do by placing the appropriate game on the Moodle platform, which is now used by many domestic higher education institutions, or simply open the web page using mobile phones.
Also with the help of a projector, you can display the game on the screen, dividing the participants into teams. Most games are based on multiple choice questions (such as "Who wants to be a millionaire?"), contain various hints (sometimes incorrect) and levels, based on the storyline chosen by the author. The main task of the teacher in this case - to create a larger bank of questions, so that the game was interesting and diverse. Another good example of the process of gamifi-cation of a foreign language lesson based on the FlipQuiz platform. According to the topic of the lesson, the teacher prepares five categories of questions of different levels of complexity, which he enters with the help of a template. The group is divided into teams, whose members choose the category and level according to their knowledge. The more points students want to get, the more difficult level they will have to pass.
In the original version of the quiz, the tasks offered to the participants are presented in the form of statements, and the answers to them - in the form of questions. At the request of the teacher and according to the level of the group, this condition can be adapted. Moreover, the site contains more than two million ready-made games on a variety of topics - from general to professionally oriented, which can be modified depending on needs and preferences. As an additional incentive, students can be offered to create a game on their own, which will not only create additional emotional tension, increase their overall motivation, but also promote careful repetition and consolidation of educational material. In general, it should be noted that the
potential for gamification is extremely large and is not limited to education. The time of innovative technologies and changes throws us constant challenges, forcing us to look for new forms and methods of teaching. Many additional resources have become available for teachers, which diversify the cognitive activity of students. However tempting it may seem to completely turn the educational process into an exciting game, it is important to keep in mind its relevance to the content and objectives of learning. Despite the positive aspects of gamification, it is necessary to avoid excessive fascination with gaming technology in favor of only the formal aspects.
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