Application of Gamification to Blended Learning in Elementary Math Instructional Design

Gamification in education can be supported with digital technologies, which offers the instructor the benefits of both face-to-face traditional instruction and online learning. But gamification is not a universal panacea. Applying gamification in education is not as easy as in other fields; regular practice of combining gamification elements with learning content might make students be distracted by game elements. In this study, gamified math lessons are designed and applied in an elementary school to tackle problems existed in gamification in education. Then the fun-based gamified instructional designing method and fun-based design principles have been put forward. Whether ARCS motivation strategies used in the class reflects teachers’ role and design in the gamified activity. As a result, videos of the gamified math class have been analysed. From the results, it is found that differentiated teaching method by corresponding technology facilitates students’ comprehension and connection between game rules and knowledge point.