Transformation through Gamification

Taranaki teacher Paula Anderson has a winning formula for an age-old problem: getting rangatahi to love school. The 2020 Charles Bailey Scholar, recipient of the premium Parininihi ki Waitotara (PKW) education scholarship, is focused on enabling rangatahi to engage effectively in learning as Māori... in some unexpected ways.

Paula – a PKW shareholder and member of the Puketapu hapū of Te Atiawa – was teaching English in Kura Kaupapa Māori in Taranaki when she saw a need and opportunity to increase learning engagement.

The kura had begun to implement the new national digital curriculum, and her interest in this area of education led to her enrolment in a practice-based post-graduate diploma in digital and collaborative learning. She followed this up with a Master of Contemporary Education at tertiary provider “The Mind Lab”, and began a programme of digital technology research to build on students’ critical thinking skills, their use of Te Reo Māori in Taranaki dialect, and their literacy in English.

The process identified new opportunities for both students and teachers as Paula’s research investigated the use of gamification (gaming) and digital technology in a literacy programme designed for Kura Kaupapa Māori students learning English as their second language.

“I wanted to discover how gamification engage,” Paula says. “Many students are disengaged with learning materials and I wanted to provide a blended learning space where students are enabled through digital technology to learn from a class, home or overseas.”

“My research influenced me to develop new teaching practices which have resulted in my learners being engaged through blended learning and gamification. One of the important outcomes was an improvement in their literacy,” she said.

“The aim was to ensure they take ownership of their learning and also to understand how they learn. The project aimed to build on their 21st-century skills and break down learning barriers in literacy.”

The Charles Bailey scholarship has funded Paula’s post-graduate studies for three years. Valued at $7,500 for each year, the scholarship has been awarded since 1980 in recognition of Waitara farmer Charles Bailey, who helped establish the Committee of Management for PKW Incorporation, and was its first Chair.

PKW shareholder advisor Adrian Poa said the scholarship is awarded every year for up to three years (a total of $22,500) for post-graduate study in a wide range of fields that support social, cultural, environmental and business activities.

Paula describes this level of support as significant. “It alleviated the pressure for me and for my whānau to cover my Master’s fees.”

Now preparing for further research toward a Doctorate in Education, Paula says her Masters research began with encouraging her Year 7 and 8 Kura Kaupapa Māori students to think about how they should address their own, self-identified learning needs.

“I asked them the question, what do they want to learn? They wanted to learn robotics and the skills of coding – so I designed a literacy programme based on creating a digital game. The rangatahi had to create the game, and plan and design the process, which meant they were fully engaged from start to finish,” Paula says.

“The process enabled so much more than literacy learning: it helped develop leadership, communications and relational skills; it helped them to understand problem solving, how to critique their own and others’ work, how to communicate effectively in a group, and how to behave in a workplace environment.”

“When they first started, they didn’t know how to collaborate or even how to speak effectively to each other. Within two terms, their reading and writing had jumped at least three levels, and they were fully engaged in education. Their behaviour and attitude toward education, the school environment, and each other changed gradually, too. Other teachers began reporting how well-behaved these students had become.”

As tauira began enjoying their education experience more fully, Paula observed further significant changes in their behaviour and thinking.

"As they became very much engaged, they took accountability for their learning. They had to complete certain tasks and meet particular criteria; they had to create their own storyline of their journey; they had to complete an assignment incorporating all the skills they had learnt; and so they learned to create and innovate in every part of their journey. At the end of the programme, they had to put it all together to create a game. They enjoyed all of those learning challenges and faced them head-on.”

Allowing the rangatahi to play a part in designing their own learning programme was a critical part of the programme’s success, Paula believes.

“The kids are telling their own narratives. We’re seeing life through their lens, expressed on the screen as opposed to paper – but they’re still using those reading and writing skills, as well as having to analyse, use predictive skills, and work through critical thinking processes to find out why something isn’t working. “

“They discovered that discussion and communication is the key to everything. We always did a lot of reflection and discussion. What this showed is that the kids wanted to learn, they wanted to know, they were ready to learn and ready to choose what they wanted to learn about.”

“Their growth mindset changed over time – they became resilient, extremely resilient. They developed faith in their own ability to solve problems, and they used it as a stepping stone, applying their experience to every kaupapa.”

“Gradually, with each session, they grew more confident. When they became frustrated, they knew they were just in a learning pit. They didn’t give up, they knew they could get it and succeed if they just kept trying.”

“Those moments of self-discovery for the kids, when the lights go on for them – when they understand how their skills and learning can be applied across the board in every sector, every subject – that’s the most rewarding experience for any teacher.”

“It’s knowing that they have developed significant transferable skills for any kaupapa, equipping them for life outside of kura, preparing them for the world with literacy, leadership, communications and life skills that will serve them anywhere.”