How not to use games

Robert J MacKenzie, in his book "Setting Limits in the Classroom", suggest getting kids to behave by adding (or removing) minutes from "PAT" which means "Preferred Activity Time" (because you just gotta have a cute acronym!)  The idea is that if they do what you want during the week, then they can play a game on Friday.  He suggests the activity could be individual or in pairs, such as Scrabble or Boggle, or a large group activity.  He call is a teachers "gift" to students for "on-task behaviour". 

This is an excellent way to show students that ordinary classwork is boring, and a great way to make sure that they even see games as boring because the only way they're fun is as an alternative to boring school work.  You see the problem? 

This is a total misuse of games in my opinion.  If you can't make learning fun and interesting (which it is to anyone who doesn't have to go to school) then using a game as a "motivational incentive"  is flawed in so many ways.  For one thing, it starts with the assumption that "time on-task" is a good thing and that isn't necessarily true.  I don't know about you, but while writing this, I've stopped several times to check Facebook, play Drop 7, eat an apple and go to the bathroom.  Does that mean I'm not productive?  I would argue the opposite.  If I had someone standing behind me demanding I write so many words in so much time, I can almost guarantee the quality would suffer...as would my sanity.

Secondly, as Alfie Kohn (author of "Punished by Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, As, Praise and Other Bribes") and Daniel Pink (author of "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us")  would no doubt agree, you need external motivators when the task itself is inherently unmotivating.  When the task is interesting and fun enough to be its own reward, external motivators are not only unnecessary, but have in fact been proven to decrease motivation.  Once you've made work appear boring by adding a reward, then of course the kids will appear to enjoy playing a game...because it's the only alternative.  So adding a cutesy little "if-you're-good-we'll-do-something-fun" reward on Friday afternoons is actually a lose-lose situation: the kids are bored during the week and on Friday during the so-called "fun" part.

Finally, "Preferred Activity Time" is just a plain old misnomer.  Ask the kids what they would really prefer to do and my money says they will not choose Boggle.   Me, I'd choose to go out for a coffee and hangout with my friends.