Lara Kehler’s discussion on Engaging Students with Coding & Gamification was inspiring. Lara’s passion for incorporating gaming elements into learning was contagious, and it got me thinking about how we can make education more fun and interactive.

I decided to play around with Scratch after listening to Lara’s session. I had to watch a few YouTube videos, but eventually I got the hang of it. Seeing how kids can easily create digital stories and games with it was inspiring. I spent some time tinkering around with it myself, and I could totally envision how kids would love it.

Also this week I logged back into my Duolingo app and seeing how they’ve gamified language learning reinforced the idea for me that gamification is crucial for learning. It’s amazing how adding game-like elements can make the learning experience so much more engaging. I now have began to switch my scrolling with a bit of playing on Duo.

The real lightbulb moment came when I combined these insights and thought about gamifying my yoga classes. I decided to introduce a game during one of my sessions, sort of a yoga version of Simon Says. I would say “move your right hand” and the student just had to place that limb somewhere new on the mat. It not only got some students out of their comfort zones but also helped others to sink deeper into their practice. The atmosphere afterward was so relaxed, with tensions melted away. I think this is something that games can do, make the environment for learning more relaxes.

An AI generated image of me trying to recreate the yoga game I played in class.. haha

This whole experience made me realize the power of gamification in transforming any learning environment. It’s not just about making things fun; it’s about making them more accessible, interactive, and ultimately, more effective. I’m excited to explore more ways to incorporate gamification into my teaching in the future.