The Mimebrates

Abstract

The study of invertebrates in Biology is a subject that, for a large number of students, is difficult due to the large amount of information, new vocabulary and great variability of organisms that are involved.

Gamification was considered the correct vehicle to work on this content and a mime game was proposed that would be really fun and engaging, displacing the competitive part of the game for the participatory one. Assessable objectives and standards were worked on, as well as personal relationships between class groups and mutual respect and help through cooperative work.

The game was applied in the first year of ESO in three different groups, and in two non-consecutive courses. At this level, students are at an age in which play is still an important part of their lives, so the reception is very good. The overall results were very satisfactory. The students were very involved in preparing the materials and in complying with the rules of participation and play. A knock-on effect was observed in the usually less participatory students, achieving a participation of 100 in the three groups.

The academic results were similar to didactic units of similar difficulty and were verified with post-game evaluations. We found better results among students who tend to show lower grades, with which the class averages were slightly higher. The objectives of this activity have been more than met, so similar formats will be developed for other units.