Green light student engagement: Squid Game tactics in the classroom

I don’t remember every class I had as a student, but there are a few that will remain in my mind forever – like when my counterculture professor, wearing a very realistic mask, pretended to be a disfigured scholar who survived an acid attack, or when my literature professor took us out on a walk and told us to focus on the crunching sounds of our footsteps and write about it. 

These experiences were memorable because they involved active sensory engagement and mental response. The emotionally arresting visual shock of the former led to an understanding of the victim’s plight, while the latter required auditory focus, followed by analysis. Both conveyed understanding in a non-verbal manner. These experiences demonstrate how an educational experience can spark an emotional response or an increased concentration level, otherwise uncommon in the classroom. Reinforcing lecture materials in this way, with unforgettable classroom experiences that engage, inspire and, when appropriate, amuse students, is invaluable. 

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One means of introducing these aspects is through gamification. Games require focus and sensory perception as well as the comprehension and analysis that is normally required of students in the classroom. Games also contribute to the students’ emotional engagement, especially if they build on principles and cultural references that they can easily refer to. This is why I drew inspiration from Squid Game, Netflix’s most viewed show, to propose to my students a gamified review of class materials for my Personal Data Protection and Management course, following a three-step sequence.

Create mystery from the start

When going over the details of the grading rubric in the first class, I told my students that I would hand out a mystery Post-it note to the top three students who participated the most in each lesson. Using a custom-made stamp, I marked the Post-it notes with our class name, so it could not be replicated.

“What is the Post-it for?” they asked. 

“I’m not going to tell you! One day, I will ask you to bring the Post-its to class and you will see what it is for. Maybe it’s an extra point on the final exam? Maybe it’s a hint on the group project? You’ll know when the time comes, but it’s better to have as many of these Post-its as you can.” 

This immediately intrigued the students and fostered class discussions and participation from the very first class. Some students have even told me that they used these Post-its as collateral for after-school activities and meet-ups. 

Incorporate pop culture 

Towards the end of the course, I told my students to bring their Post-it notes to the next lesson, as their purpose would be revealed by a guest speaker.

I also requested that the students wear either a blue or a green top. This was a red herring that led students to believe that the two colours would dictate their groups, but was actually a fun reference to the Netflix series, where the contestants wear a numbered turquoise tracksuit and participate in a life-or-death elimination game to win a cash prize. Those who fail the games are eliminated by weapon-wielding invigilators wearing red tracksuits and black masks.

I purchased some numbered name tags, a red tracksuit, a Squid Game mask and a water gun. During the class, I pretended to get a call from my “guest speaker”, saying that he was stuck with the school security. I left the classroom, threw on the mask and red tracksuit, and stepped back into class where the students were all surprised and excited for the game to begin. We went over the rules of the game, put on the name tags and I finally revealed what the mysterious Post-its were for: they represented extra lives!

Foster a non-cheating gaming environment

Games can be cheated. In order to minimise cheating during the Squid Game, I designed and printed physical paper voting cards that students would lift up to show their answer, as opposed to voting apps on their phones. Their devices were stowed in their backpacks or they would risk getting them wet with the water gun. Since I read the questions aloud, gameshow-style, and counted down for their answer choice, the students did not have enough time to chat among themselves and cheat.

Eliminated students ripped off their name tags, stuck them on the whiteboard and were then recruited into my team. They helped me monitor their classmates for cheating and swiftly eliminated those who answered incorrectly with the water gun. 

The Squid Game was a fun and creative way to review class materials while also creating an unforgettable classroom experience. It gave me access to a new grading method that was not only enjoyable for the students, but guaranteed that there was no cheating with Chat GPT or smuggled notes. I had a clear record of the order in which the students were eliminated, resulting in fair and unbiased grading. Continuous class participation was encouraged with the Post-its as active students felt rewarded for their attention. Less active students came to class with a newfound appreciation for class discussion, even before they knew what the notes represented.

Student feedback described the Squid Game lessons as “really useful”, “very cool”, “engaging and educative”, “creative” and “can help us better understand what area we still need to revise”.

The beauty of the Squid Game method is that it is incredibly easy to replicate in any level of education, language or field of study. All you need is a simple PowerPoint presentation with the questions and answer choices, voting cards, a few props and a mischievous spirit!

Clare Keonha Shin is an assistant professor of practice at the IÉSEG School of Management. 

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