Guest post contributed by Katie Eastin
Students are often hesitant about change, and mine are no exception.
My students have been dealing with change all year. They have new teachers, a new principal, new rules, and a new curriculum. All of these changes have created annoyance and short fuses within my classroom. So you can imagine my students’ reactions when I told them there was going to be yet another change for them: Classcraft.
I teach middle school and high school science for a small non-public school in Southeast Iowa. I first heard about Classcraft from a Facebook ad. It looked intriguing, so I researched and read about it for a good month before proposing this new idea to my classes.
When I decided to roll out Classcraft, I was met with frustration and defiance. It was not the reaction I was expecting. Since many of my students play games, I assumed it was going to be an easy addition. The kids were angry and annoyed that I wanted to change yet another aspect of their learning experience, and the majority of them were dead-set against playing.
As I pondered this dilemma, I tried to think of ways to get the students excited about the game. I knew if they would just give it a chance, they would most likely love it. Then it dawned on me—all I had to do was give them a chance.
I added in the students at the beginning of each of my seven classes and gave them 20 minutes to play around with the characters. I awarded each of them random amounts of Experience Points (XP) so they could see the pets, gear, and powers they could obtain. As I walked around answering questions and watching the kids play, I started to see excitement and encouragement among the students.
At the end of each class, I took an anonymous vote through a Google form on whether or not the students would like to try Classcraft. It was unanimous with all 117 students that I teach—a resounding YES! I gave up 20 minutes of one day and gained a new tool to use in my class, and so far it has been a blast.
Since starting Classcraft, I have seen a change in the dynamics of my classes. Students who normally don’t turn in assignments have started to excel. The chitter-chatter has stopped during class time. Kids are following directions better, listening better, and cooperating to a higher extent than I have seen before.
In two of my classes, I have surpassed other years in the amount of content we have covered, and it’s only the third quarter! The 20 minutes I gave up back in November has been well worth it. I have seen huge growths in my students’ knowledge and attention, and I’ve gained more time to go over more material to boot!
Classcraft changed my classroom in a few short months. Although I was met with frustration at first, all my students love Classcraft now to the point that they will log on and train pets over breaks and weekends. It is an engaging and exciting addition to any class, and I am very glad that I chose to take the time to figure out a way to get my students onboard. My classes wouldn’t be as organized and engaging as they are without Classcraft.
Katherine Eastin is a science teacher for Notre Dame Jr/Sr High School in Burlington, Iowa. She teaches 8th grade Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Astronomy, and Honor’s Physics. From personal creations to student additions of Classcraft pets and shields, her colorful classroom with painted walls and windows is centered on science but shows her African upbringing in every corner, mixing culture with education.
Photo credit: Syda Productions / Shutterstock.com