TED Talk 7 Ways to Reward the Brain

     In the TED talk with Tom Chatfield, he discussed the positive side of video games and what they contribute to our learning. He discussed 7 ways that the brain is rewarded in an effort to explain why so many people get satisfaction from playing these games on a daily basis. The 7 ways to reward the brain that he listed are as follows:

1. Experience bar measuring progress- this is the bar that shows what you have completed and how far away you are from the goal
2. Multiple long term/short term aims- this means that the goals in a video game have short term goals that are easier to attain and long term goals that take more work
3. Rewards for efforts-this means that as you accomplish both large and small tasks, you are given rewards in the game
4. Rapid frequent clear feedback- in video games, you are given feedback for everything you do, it is quick and reflective of what you have accomplished
5. Element of uncertainty- these are the unknown rewards that you don't know you will get- it keeps you brain working hard to discover the prize
6. Windows of enhanced attention- there are times in the game where things are intensified and times when they are slower
7. Other people-people play games collaboratively with other people to solve problems and reach goals-people want to be successful and interact with others

     All of these things can be related to a classroom as well as a video game. I think that students would love to see their progress measured on a bar, instead of a letter grade. How encouraging would it be to see how far you needed to go and see you progress as you made you way along. I also think it is important to set short term and long term goals for your students. Its important to let them celebrate small successes as well as large successes. I was especially impressed with the #5 element of uncertainty, imagine as as a teacher if we set a  goal and do not disclose the prize, I think that would be very encouraging and motivating for students to reach that goal to see what the prize would be. I also think that the rapid and frequent feedback is very important. As educators, we need to be clear with our feedback and make sure we are frequently letting our students know how they are doing in the classroom with a particular assignment. When they have a clear direction, they are more likely to be successful.