TED Community » Bill Campbell

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• A comment on Conversation: The Khan Academy in using points and badges for rewards is not fostering its main objective to teach mastery of the subject.

  Mar 24 2011: The design of successful video games seems to reflect that badges, points, and levels are motivators. They provide small indications of success as you tackle a larger problem. Not everyone can see a struggle as leading to a long-term positive outcome while they are in the middle of the struggle. Objective recognition awards along the way might provide small indicators of success to keep up motivation until mastery of a complex problem or topic is achieved. Successful video games designers also need to carefully balance challenge/rigor and opportunities for success.
  
  While I'm primarily thinking of kids as I write this, achieving small milestones seems helpful to adults also. Of course, most adults have had more practice than children at keeping up motivation for long-term gains.

• A reply on Conversation: The Khan Academy in using points and badges for rewards is not fostering its main objective to teach mastery of the subject.

  Mar 24 2011: I don't think all students connect grades with recognition for a job well done. Some connect grades just with doing what the teacher wants you to do and that's not always the same as mastery. Another problem with grades is that they sometimes come to late to use them as motivation for doing the task again, but better. By the time the grade is determined, it's on to the next unit. I see that problem as consistent with Kahn's learning how to rid a bicycle metaphor.