Prisms of Neuroscience: Frameworks for Thinking About Educational Gamification

Abstract

The mind, brain, body, and environment are inextricably interconnected. In the field of education, this neuropsychologically-backed claim suggests that to optimize learners’ (1) educational experiences, (2) retention of knowledge, and (3) creative use and application of knowledge beyond the classroom walls, teaching practices in all content areas must align with all parts of what makes us human. Unlike hardwired computers, our neuroplastic brains change with environmental interactions via our bodies. This article examines technology as an extension of cognition, where gamification emerges as a fundamental rather than supplemental tool for educators to co-construct knowledge with students. Gamification supports student learning and holistic well-being when considering affective, social, and motoric entanglements with cognitive processes. This article creatively employs five neuroscientific “prisms” to support and explain this humanistic claim. When synthesized, these refracted dimensions provide a framework for thinking about how, why, and when gamification functions as a valuable 21st-century educational tool.