We can apply the principles used in video game design to classroom practices. The same dopamine-reward response that drives one to not just play video games – but persevere in the quest to improve – can also motivate a student in academics. This is based on the research of Judy Willis, M.D., a neurologist and educator, who is an authority on the neuroscience of learning and how that can be incorporated into best teaching practices. Her work has been of particular interest to educators who work with students with learning differences, as these students often struggle with motivation regarding academics.
Remember from last week that a larger than usual amount of dopamine (enough to make it feel good) is released when the brain recognizes that it just made a successful prediction or behavioral response. This dopamine surge requires some uncertainty about success – there must be a challenge that has not already been mastered.
Achievable Challenge Level
Video games are designed to get you to your achievable challenge level very quickly so that you will not be bored with a level that is too easy, nor frustrated by one that is too difficult. In education, we call this is the zone of proximal development – it’s where you are challenged at just the right level that you maintain motivation and will persevere to learn. Ideally, academic learning experiences are individualized for each student at his or her level of achievable challenge. Yes, the teaching and task need to be appealing to the student, but the “just right” level of challenge is what will cause the student to expend the effort to work through a challenge. The brain will also be more responsive to feedback under these circumstances – it knows that the dopamine surge is within reach . . . and it wants it. This results in increased student engagement.
Incremental Goal Progress and Frequent Feedback
Video games do not require mastery all at once with the reward delayed until mastery is achieved. They allow the player to build the skills gradually and receive frequent rewards; the dopamine reward occurs each time the player receives feedback that a correct response was made. When the big dopamine surge comes at the successful completion of a level, that is what motivates the player to work harder at the next level, which is a bigger challenge. Remember, you must move on to more challenge to receive more dopamine. Also remember from last week, that when you hit an 80% failure rate, the games are designed to give you some type of guiding feedback to assist in the incremental progress.
Teachers can use this same principle of making students aware of incremental progress toward a goal. This can be done by setting smaller goals that build to an end goal, while also providing frequent feedback to students on their successes and guidance when they are off-track to help bring about some reward/reinforcement that progress is being made. Remember, they need to know they have made progress in order for the dopamine-reward to occur. Delayed gratification is not a strong-suit of the adolescent brain – show your students the progress they are making, even if it is incremental. It is particularly beneficial in sustaining motivation and effort if the teacher can show the students how to recognize incremental progress on their own.
Mistakes as a Necessary Part of Mastery
Video game players are perfectly fine with an 80% failure rate! It is accepted as a necessary part of mastering the challenge. While I’m not sure that we’d ever get students to feel comfortable with that percentage in the classroom, we can strive to instill in our students a growth mindset (a topic for future discussion) – the belief that mistakes are a normal and necessary part of the learning process and are necessary for growth. The growth mindset promotes the ideas that you can “grow your brain” and “the power of ‘yet’” – you will get there, but you are not there yet. It sounds simple, but convincing students who are struggling that they will master something, but just aren’t there yet, is powerful and has been shown to be highly effective in promoting learning.
