The W.W. Reynolds Foundation’s vision is “to enhance educational opportunities and empower youngsters to pursue a life of meaning. The lack of civility in society is always on the mind of our founder, Bill Reynolds. How can the next generation pursue a life of meaning in the current climate?
One idea that caught Bill’s attention years ago is gamification—adding game-like elements to the learning process. While it’s clear that games can make learning more fun, there’s a bigger question: can they help us become more thoughtful, civil citizens? Can they engage students in ways traditional educational approaches cannot?
What’s Gamification?
When we discuss gamification outside the Foundation, there seems to be a bit of confusion about its meaning. Some conjure up images of simulations. Others imagine Jeopardy-style games designed to help students study. While these are certainly ways to incorporate games into education, we’re passionate about using games to teach the material. It’s about taking something that could feel boring—like political theory—and turning it into an engaging, active experience.
More importantly, it puts students in the driver’s seat. They learn by doing instead of passively absorbing information. Students have to make decisions, test out ideas, and face the results of their actions. It’s like a fast-forward version of learning through experience (Adipat et al., 2021; Kelle et al., 2011).
And while this can be fun for kids, this isn’t just about having fun. It’s about encouraging deeper thinking that’s tough to get in a traditional classroom.
Dewey’s Reflective Thinking: The Secret Sauce?
John Dewey, one of the greats in education, said that when we face a problem, we tend to go through a series of steps to solve it: identifying the problem, gathering information, coming up with possible solutions, testing them, and reflecting on the outcome (Dewey, 1933). What’s exciting to the W.W. Reynolds Foundation is that a well-designed gamified curriculum can do just that.
Imagine a civics game where students manage a political campaign or solve a community issue. They start by identifying the problem (say, how to balance a budget), gathering information (exploring the options), and coming up with solutions (spending money on schools or roads?). Then, they test those ideas and see what happens. Finally, they reflect: what worked? What didn’t? Hands-on learning does more than cram facts into their heads (Raphael et al., 2012; Moore et al., 2014).
Can Games Teach Us to Be Better Citizens?
WWRF is incredibly excited by the intersection of gamification and civics education. What if students were put in the driver’s seat and asked to create a new constitution? Think about it—students can run virtual political campaigns, navigate public policy, and solve local community problems. They wouldn’t simply be learning about theory; they’d be dealing with real-world applications and challenges that required negotiation, compromise, and ethical decision-making (Makri, 2021; Moore et al., 2014). Imagine if our kids had this type of learning early and often in their education.
Even more exciting is that the research confirms that students who play civic-focused games are more likely to talk about political issues and get involved in their communities (Moore et al., 2014). Students move from learning to doing –and understanding what it means to be a good, engaged, and responsible citizen.
So, Can Games Make Us More Civil?
They might! Civics-based games don’t just teach students theory. They’re teaching them to think critically and engage with each other and the world around them. We’re all feeling a bit divided these days. We could use more people who can think critically, collaborate, and build empathy for others (Kelle et al., 2011).
The Roadblock: Lack of Standardization
One challenge with gamification is the lack of standardization. So many different platforms and approaches make scalability and availability a challenge. The ICOPER Reference Model provides a potential solution: it offers a way to standardize game design to share these impactful learning experiences across classrooms and institutions (Kelle et al., 2011).
Where Do We Go From Here?
At the W.W. Reynolds Foundation, we’re excited about what gamification could mean for the future of education, especially in civics. By connecting gamified learning with Dewey’s Reflective Thinking, we hope to fund and support projects that offer students a more engaging way to learn and a better way to connect with the world. And who knows—maybe through these experiences, we can become a little more civil.
Resources and Citations:
Adipat, S., Laksana, K., Busayanon, K., Asawasowan, A., & Adipat, B. (2021). Engaging students in the learning process with game-based learning: The fundamental concepts. International Journal of Technology in Education (IJTE).
Makri, E. (2021). Can game-based learning facilitate civics, negotiation, and conflict management attributes? International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE).
Raphael, C., Bachen, C. M., & Hernández-Ramos, P. F. (2012). Flow and cooperative learning in civic gameplay. New Media and Society.
Costikyan, G. (2002). I have no words & I must design: Toward a critical vocabulary for games. Proceedings of Computer Games and Digital Cultures Conference.
Moore, C. D., Beshke, C. A., & Bohan, C. H. (2014). Simulations and games in the civics classroom. Social Studies Research and Practice.
Kelle, S., Klemke, R., Gruber, M., & Specht, M. (2011). Standardization of game-based learning design. ICOPER Reference Model.
Dewey, J. (1933). How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process. Boston: D.C. Heath & Co.
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