Using gamification strategies to increase student engagement, scores

Posted on: 9/3/24

In a shared mobile unit at Reedy Creek Elementary School, multilingual teachers Camille Bourguignon and Evgenia Kolesnikov recalled trying to assist a student who wasn’t feeling well. When Kolesnikov opened the door to let the student out, a bird swooped in and started flying around the room. The intercom then came on with someone asking for either to pick up the phone —- in the same corner where the bird happened to be perched.

In what could’ve been a chaotic moment in the classroom, Bourguignon and Kolesnikov were more impressed with their students’ ability to remain engaged with their lesson — which they credit to the use of gamification strategies. 

Gamification is the process of adding games or gamelike elements to something (like a task) to encourage participation. Bourguignon and Kolesnikov use a mixture of sites like Kahoot and Blooket or pen-and-paper activities to help students with topics and concepts they might be struggling with, or to teach content beforehand so that students come to class with a better understanding of the lesson. 

Bourguignon and Kolesnikov have more than four decades of combined experience working with multilingual students. In addition to building relationships and making connections with their students, they work closely with the teachers in their buildings to ensure students understand the content and feel confident in class.

“Gamification creates a low-stress environment for the students,” said Kolesnikov. “It lowers the students’ anxiety levels so that they can focus on the content and show their knowledge.”

From online escape rooms to Mad Lib activities, both teachers say their students work collaboratively, and sometimes competitively, to gain the concepts and language skills needed to be successful in class. They’ve also noticed significant gains in their students’ confidence and test scores.

“We are so proud of our students,” said Bourguignon. “They’re extremely bright.”

“They’re doing hard work and showing eagerness to work and do the challenging tasks,” added Kolesnikov. “Students are engaged and don’t feel pressured. We take care of their stress, and they take care of their learning.”

Over the summer, Bourguignon and Kolesnikov presented at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s ML/Title III Growing Success for Multilingual Learners conference. Their workshop was designed for K-12 teachers interested in incorporating gamification strategies into their multilingual learner instruction.

With more than 100 participants online and in person, Bourguignon and Kolesnikov were excited to see the eagerness teachers had in bringing back ideas to their classrooms.

“If they take one activity back and integrate it with their students and reflect on the impact, student engagement, mastery of skills and if they meet their learning goals, it will have a lasting effect not only on the students, but also the teacher’s instructional practice,” said Bourguignon.

For the 2024-25 school year, both Bourguignon and Kolesnikov, who is now at Elon Park Elementary School, look forward to finding more creative ways to incorporate games into their lessons. Bourguignon said she’s looking into using green screens with her Reedy Creek students, and Kolesnikov is interested in finding activities for creative writing.

“Technology will not replace great teachers,” Bourguignon said. “But technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational.”