An engaging seminar on Gamification in English Language Teaching organised by the English Studies Department

Gamifying lessons, material and teachers: an inside look from Express Publishing

The end of October, more specifically Tuesday, 30^th October, finds the English Studies Department of the University of Sheffield International Faculty CITY College attending its second Personal and Professional Development Seminar. The focus?  “Gamification and Practical Application in EFL.”

Our guest speaker, Express Publishing ELT consultant Mr. Iraklis Velisaridis, delivered an engaging, humorous and informative presentation on the mentality of gamification and teaching. After contextualizing the matter with everyday examples of how gaming features and techniques engage and motivate us, our attention was turned to how they can be applied in teaching and learning.

Gamification or “the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people/students to achieve their goals”  has been and is generally on the rise. Teaching and learning can be seen in the context of competition, rewards, leveling up and providing incentives. To be effective, however, we can’t be unaware of technology; we need to become tech-savvy.

Mr. Velisaridis highlighted how important it is for teachers themselves as well as their material to be engaging so as to attract students’ attention on a cognitive, emotional and social level. It is important to gamify our lives, our teaching and our classrooms, especially nowadays living in a digital era.

Express Publishing has achieved this with Digibook series drawing on inspiration from games and video games. Concepts include students creating avatars, receiving points for activities accomplished, acquiring badges that indicate various skills, and finding themselves wanting to do one more piece of homework to ensure that extra point for themselves or for their team.

Applicable as a teaching method to young learners and adults alike, the notion of gamification coupled with technology can truly bring new life to a class, to a lesson as well as to the material and subject matter one is teaching/learning.