Gamification in Everyday Classrooms: Observations From Schools in Hong Kong

Gamification refers to the use of game elements in non-game context to improve user experience and engagement (Deterding et al., 2011a). The potential of games to make learning more engaging has been widely noted by educators and researchers. Many of the applications and research studies in this area focused on non-customizable digital games that are designed for a specific group and a narrow range of subject content. In actual classrooms, however, non-customizable digital games may not be flexible enough to enable teachers to adapt gamification into practice. Hence, teachers sometimes use a mixed set of strategies to flexibly embed game-based mechanics into their teaching. How can different gamification tools be applied in classrooms? Based on classroom observations and teacher interviews from schools from primary to secondary level in Hong Kong, this paper explores the role of gamification in real practice. We frame the discussion based on the following approaches with ranging levels of flexibility: versatile gamification, gamification platform, and rigid gamification. Versatile gamification was seen as more feasible compared with the other two approaches. We also examine how game-based mechanics such as competition, rules, graphics, and achievements are used to enrich classroom interaction. It was found that gamification is already popular in the classroom. Follow up interviews with teachers suggested that game is a powerful way to engage students. Good practices in game-based lesson design and potentials for further development of gamification tools are discussed.

Higher education teachers' perception and use of Content Representations in lesson study

Purpose“Content Representations” (CoRes) is an instrument that links content with aspects about its teaching and is recognized for its utility designing lessons and elucidating teachers' knowledge. Lesson study (LS) is a practice through which teachers collaborate to plan, teach and reflect on a lesson. Both have been acknowledged separately as being valuable for teachers' training; however, there is little research addressing the consequences of combining them. This study filled in that gap by examining how higher education (HE) teachers used the CoRes and perceived its integration within LS.Design/methodology/approachThe authors performed a multiple case study with features of ethnomethodology and conducted an inductive content analysis of the data gathered through document analysis, in-depth semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The research was approved by the ethics committee of the host university, and participants were faculty members from different health sciences disciplines.FindingsThe authors found that participants considered that the use of the CoRes during LS allowed them to organize their ideas, consider more details for lesson design, address new topics and engage in greater reflection. However, participants (specially senior faculty) showed a superficial dedication to filling in the CoRes and considered the instrument bothersome, urging caution when engaging in the combined practice of CoRes and LS.Originality/valueThis is the first research in the international literature approaching the integration of the CoRes and LS with HE teachers. Its results fill a research gap and can help LS practitioners make an informed decision about whether to incorporate CoRes into it.

Implementasi Rancangan Pembelajaran Berbasis Sharing dan Jumping Task pada Konsep Hukum Kekekalan Massa

The law of conservation of mass is a fundamental law and is related to other chemical materials such as chemical reaction equations so that student's learning obstacles of the law of conservation of mass must be overcome. One of the ways to overcome student's learning obstacles of the law of conservation of mass concept is the implementation of sharing and jumping task based lesson design, which is the aim of this research. The research method used is a qualitative descriptive research method. The research subjects were students of X.1 and X.2 SMA in Bandung and chemistry teacher who collaborate with researcher as team teaching. The data on the implementation of sharing and jumping task based lesson design of the law of conservation of mass was obtained from observations, tests, and interviews. Implementation of sharing and jumping task based lesson design of the law of conservation of mass concept was carried out twice. The result of the first implementation is that the previously identified learning obstacles still appear but in a smaller percentage. After the first implementation of the lesson design, it was revised and implemented in other class. The results of the second implementation can overcome student's learning obstacle who think that the mass of solids is heavier than the mass of liquids, but a small number of students still do not take into account the mass of gases in chemical reactions and do not fully understand the meaning of the law of conservation of mass.

LESSON STUDY FOR LEARNING COMMUNITY (LSLC): PENDAMPINGAN PENYUSUNAN CAPTURE DESIGN DAN LESSON DESIGN PADA GURU SD/MI DI PONPES DARUSSOLIHIN NW KALIJAGA

ABSTRAKTuntutan pembelajaran abad 21 adalah kompetensi 4C - colaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity. Fasilitas pembelajaran yang tepat untuk ini adalah LSLC. Sejauh ini guru di SD/MI Ponpes Darussholihin NW Kalijaga belum pernah mengikuti kegiatan LSLC. Pengabdian ini sebagai langkah awal untuk mendampingi guru dalam ber-LSLC. Adapun tahapan pertama dalam LSLC adalah plan yg di dalamnya memuat penyusunan lesson design dan chapter design. Target luaran yaitu guru-guru SD/MI di Ponpes Darussolihin NW Kalijaga mampu menyusun chapter design dan lesson design. Kegiatan ini menggunakan metode pendampingan dan dilaksanakan melalui tiga tahapan yaitu: (1) workshop LSLC secara daring, (2) presentasi dari tim terkait chapter design dan lesson design, dan (3) mendampingi peserta dalam kelompok untuk mengembangkan chapter design dan lesson design. Kegiatan ini berjalan dengan baik dan lancar. Workshop online terselenggara pada interval 12 – 14 Agustus 2021. Presentasi dari tim dan pendampingan kelompok dalam mengembangkan chapter design dan lesson design terlaksana pada tanggal 18 September 2021 di MI NW Kalijaga. Jumlah peserta yang hadir sebanyak 33 peserta dari beberapa SD/MI di bawah naungan Ponpes Darussolihin NW Kalijaga. Diakhir kegiatan pendampingan, hasil kolaborasi masing-masing kelompok guru telah berhasil menyusun chapter design dan lesson design dengan kualitas yang baik dan siap untuk dimplementasikan dalam pembelajaran. Kata kunci: chapter design; lesson design; pendamipingan LSLC; ponpes NW kalijaga. ABSTRACTThe demands of 21st century learning are 4C competencies - collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity. The right learning facility for this is LSLC. So far, teachers at SD/MI Ponpes Darussholihin NW Kalijaga have never participated in LSLC activities. This service is the first step to assist teachers in LSLC. The first stage in the LSLC is a plan which includes the preparation of lesson designs and chapter designs. The output target is that SD/MI teachers at Ponpes Darussolihin NW Kalijaga are able to compile chapter designs and lesson designs. This activity uses the mentoring method and is carried out in three stages, namely: (1) online LSLC workshops, (2) presentations from teams related to chapter design and lesson design, and (3) assisting participants in groups to develop chapter designs and lesson designs. This activity went well and smoothly. An online workshop will be held on August 12-14, 2021. Presentations from the team and group assistance in developing chapter design and lesson design will take place on September 18, 2021 at MI NW Kalijaga. The number of participants who attended was 33 participants from several SD/MI under the auspices of Ponpes Darussolihin NW Kalijaga. At the end of the mentoring activity, the results of the collaboration of each group of teachers have succeeded in compiling chapter designs and lesson designs with good quality and ready to be implemented in learning. Kata kunci: chapter design; lesson design; LSLC mentoring; ponpes NW kalijaga.

Integration of Ignatian values in the development of algebraic thinking via utilization of quasi-variables: A lesson study

<p dir="ltr"><span>This paper reflects on the outcome of lesson study in teaching the concept of algebraic equations utilizing quasi-variables. It also concurrently examines the integration of Ignatian values and social issues in learning the said concept. This study aimed to establish a culture of planning, collaboration, and reflection in developing the understanding and relevance of mathematical concepts in grade school through lesson study. The study showed how the process of lesson study was done given the following phases: planning phase, implementation phase, and post-lesson reflection and discussion phase. Emphasis on the planning phase was given on the details of the lesson design which aimed to integrate Ignatian values in the discussion while developing algebraic thinking from quasi-variable thinking delivered in the implementation phase. Findings highlighted on three statements: i) Collaborative lesson planning nurtures a deeper sense of scholarship and collegiality; ii) Building algebraic thinking from quasi-variable (arithmetic) thinking is a viable strategy for understanding the concept of algebraic equation; and iii) Looking into the “big picture” and responding to relevant social issues could strengthen meaning - integration of Ignatian values. Strong collaboration and communication among teachers in creating detailed lesson design enabled more meaningful learning among pupils. Research revealed the significant role of lesson study in creating meaningful strategies and activities which provided efficient structure in developing a chosen lesson topic. It does not only focus on the nature of the topic but also include making meaningful connections to the real world and integrate values.</span></p>

Actualizing hope and joy in K-12 curricula through Daisaku Ikeda’s human education

Purpose: Our study aims to create a framework grounded in Daisaku Ikeda’s philosophy of education for educators and researchers to implement and evaluate human education in the classroom. Research Methodology: We first synthesized the eighteen chapters by scholars involved in Ikeda studies, published in the book entitled: Hope and Joy in Education: Engaging Daisaku Ikeda across Curriculum and Context to discover the main themes in Ikeda’s human education. Based on these themes, we selected six children’s stories developed by Ikeda to design lessons. We then conducted surveys with ten K-12 teachers across disciplines and school districts to explore their perspectives toward humanity and their feedback on our lesson design. Results: Our finding indicates that creating hope and joy in education is inseparable from human revolution, value creation, happiness, the greater self, global citizens, as well as life and death. In addition, the participant’s responses to the survey questions help educators and researchers understand what K-12 teachers look for in order to implement lessons on humanity more efficiently and effectively. Limitations: By no means would we consider our lesson design exemplary or applicable in all different contexts. Instead, we consider these lessons a starting point to continue exploring a better way to teach humanity in school. Contribution: Seeing examples of lesson plans on humanity and learning from K-12 teachers’ perspectives provide an aspect for educators and researchers to use, extend, or expand the present study to bring hope and joy to students in their local contexts.

Assessment of outcomes associated with a Moodle-based lesson design for a research course in pharmacy education: An experimental pilot process validation study

Background: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an online Moodle-based lesson for pharmacy students developed and designed for a research course focused on different methodologies, study variables, and research process applications. Methods: An experimental research methodology was used to determine the effectiveness of the Moodle-based lesson. All fourth term Pharm.D. students were required to complete and provide self-reflection reports. The outcome variables were cluster-based completion time, earned score, subjective feedback on contents, gender differences, and performance. Mean values were used to conduct statistical analysis, and a logistic regression model was applied to identify the significance of independent variables. Results: A total of 35 students completed the Moodle-based lesson. The mean earned score for the module was 81.0%, with an average completion time of 28.5 (range 26.8-30.1) hours. Females showed completion in less time compared to males. The reported knowledge and understanding showed a significant (p<0.001) pre-post increase in mean percentages in all three clusters. The intragroup pool analysis also reported significant (p<0.001) differences among gender and performance. The general feedback was limited to technical difficulties and self-reflection questions. Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that the online Moodle-based lesson module for a research course is an effective and validated tool to improve the knowledge and understanding of pharmacy students.

The Effect of Wānanga-Based Learning in Supporting the Development of Teacher Agency in Computational Thinking

As of 2020, all schools and kura in Aotearoa New Zealand were expected to teach digital technologies as part of the core curriculum. Our digital world is rapidly expanding and in order to be successful in this space, our rangatahi (youth) need to be capable of both using and creating digital tools. This project seeks to support secondary-school teachers of different subject-specialty areas to authentically integrate computational thinking concepts into their regular teaching practice. This was accomplished through a series of wānanga and exploration phases, with a focus on critically reflective practice and ako (reciprocal learning). Questionnaires and recording of kōrero (conversation) were used to understand changes in teacher confidence in the areas of understanding, lesson design, and ability to give feedback in relation to computational thinking principles. Results of this research have shown that using wānanga to support teachers to learn and apply computational thinking in their classrooms positively impacts their agency in developing high-quality lessons that are aligned with digital technologies curriculum. The findings from this project are intended to support other schools in Aotearoa New Zealand to develop their own frameworks of professional development in this area.