TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Azael Herrero
To teach a group of teachers what gamification is and what it is not, and the MCD model for gamification. To show them different examples of gamification carried out by the teachers of the course. Finally, the participants presented a gamification proposal for one of the subjects they teach at their school.
The group was mainly made up of primary and secondary school teachers from northern Italy. A couple of Spanish teachers and psychologists also attended. There was also representation from Romania, as that is the nationality of one of the two teachers.
Every day, students were given goals to achieve when they arrived in class, and the class began with a 10-minute board game. The game served to start the training with good energy, and then participants were told about practical applications of the game used in their classroom. In addition to the classic slides with all the material used in the course, at the end of each session a reflection on what had happened was carried out. Outside the classroom, in the afternoons, 3 party-type board game sessions were organized, to socialize and do team building among the participants.
Half of the penultimate day and the first part of the last day, participants had time to make a proposal for the application of gamification as an educational tool in their centers. On the last day, during the final part, one by one they presented their proposal, receiving feedback from the two trainers.
The team of trainers was composed of Azael Herrero and Loredana Mândru. Azael is an expert in gamification and has previously trained teachers at Loredana's school in Iaçi (Romania). The training was designed by both of them. Azael focused on more theoretical aspects and examples of what he does with his students at university. Loredana showed how they are applying gamification in their primary school. Loredana, as a psychologist, coordinated all the reflections after each day of training, while Azael, as an expert in board games, organised all the games that opened the mornings and the social agenda related to them.