#games4ed discussions cover ways in which gaming can be used in education. Games mirror the way the human mind was designed to learn. They motivate players to take risks and actions, persevere through failures, set and achieve increasingly difficult goals, and devote attention, time, and effort to acquiring knowledge and skills. All this while the game is tracking the player’s actions and assessing the player’s achievements and skills. Isn’t this what we want from education?
Hello everyone. Mariana Garcia serrato MS STEM from San Jose, CA Assessment frustration, seeing the anxiety riddled student that "you know knows" but cannot produce when timed or pressured. And of course mandated assessments. #games4ed
Here's a preview of tonight's questions for #games4ed!
The first question starts at 7:06!
We'll follow the Q1/A1 format
Don't forget to tag your tweets with #games4ed!
Hello all. Mike Neumire, instructional technology specialist in Rochester, NY. Assessment frustrates me when it doesn’t answer the question, “what do I do next?” #games4ed
Hi all! Melissa from Nebraska, 11-12 ELA. My assessment frustration: Questions that look for minute details. Or memorization that students won't need again. #games4ed
Hi everyone, I'm Allison Echard, Lewistown, PA. Currently a pre-service teacher at Grove City College for high school English and Theatre. Something that has frustrated me as an undergrad is how to create lessons that resonate with students and work with state tests #games4ed
Q1: Adventures are something we DO and experience.
What have you done (or could you do) to make assessments more of an experience for students that they actually look forward to doing?
#games4ed
A1: Make it more hands on and relevant. Have an assessment in the same style of my day to day teaching of being collaborative and right tools for the right job. #Games4ed
A1: I've done what @teachlikeaninja mentions, but the game changer for my assessments has been the Boss Battles. Students literally rush to my class to meet the boss and take the test. #games4ed
That's just insane. I know our 3-8 grades are similar. High school has a bit more of a reprieve--it's mainly the 11th grade students who go through the constant assessing in April #games4ed
I like! I never thought of a Goose Chase as in this way either. Students have to complete the Goose Chase to demonstrate the different standards/objectives. #games4ed
In reply to
@teachingfactor, @breakoutEDU, @GooseChase
A1: anything that makes it feel more like a journey than a performance. I recently discovered Twine. Allows you to embed user properties like health or money, whatever works! #games4ed
Q2: Adventures usually include choices that we make.
What choices do you include in assessments? Or in what ways could you include more choices for students?
#games4ed
OOOOHHH! My seniors just did paper prototyypes of Choose Your Own Adventures today! I'm so excited to see them transfer to the digital form next week!! #Games4ed
A2: what if Ss has choices which questions to answer on the test. For example, I gave a reading quiz & told Ss they could answer any 20 of the 30 questions #games4ed
A2: Does multiple choice count? JK
Choice would come into play in performance tasks. How are you going to demonstrate that you know and can "solve this". #games4ed
A colleague of mine is using a Hyperdoc for a semester test (required for us). I'm thinking of doing the same and making it more like a menu of options for Ss to choose from for semester assessment. #Games4ed
Q2: Adventures usually include choices that we make.
What choices do you include in assessments? Or in what ways could you include more choices for students?
#games4ed
A2: measuring the journey means more to me than a one-shot performance. How many tries? What did previous tries look like? Google forms with color changing spreadsheet would show how they used wrong answers to get to the right answer #games4ed
Yes, after winter break I am unveiling my To Kill a Mickingbird break in with my Ss - teamwork and cooperation unlocks close reading and understanding #games4ed
In reply to
@MrCarlsonsClass, @mpilakow, @classcraftgame
A2: Would it be helpful or harmful to link student grades to extra points given in Classcraft? Perhaps then students can feel more ownership over what content they are producing on tests?#games4ed
Q3: Usually, we have support when we go on adventures, be it supplies, tools, or people we bring along.
What do you allow students to have in their "tool belt" as they prepare for their boss battle/assessment?
#games4ed
And overall, education needs more performance assessments. Isn't that how the real world works--performance, not just how you do on a test in a theoretical situation? #Games4ed
A3) This year I started doing a "Supply Drop" before the test where students are reminded of the key topics in the unit and they evaluate how they might use them on the test. #games4ed
Exactly. It should not be about answering random questions, but rather what can you do with the knowledge you've gained. Goest to grading and GPAs, when I tell my students that literally noone in my adut life has ever asked me what my HS GPA was. #games4ed
A3 - I like to see a Boss Battle as a way of showing independent use of any tools that might be helpful. Need a multiplication chart? Great. Using a calculator? That’s ok.
This is a time for accuracy and efficiency. Don’t miss. #games4ed
Grades and game points are completely separate in my classroom. Quizzes don’t count for a grade but my own assessment what I need to reteach but use @classcraftgame grade converter to earn XP on quizzes #games4ed
A2: Would it be helpful or harmful to link student grades to extra points given in Classcraft? Perhaps then students can feel more ownership over what content they are producing on tests?#games4ed
A3: It would be amazing to use a gameshow type choice in assessments. Poll the class for a questions could be marking the answer that most of the class has given for the assignment or phone a friend could be to pick the answer a classmate of their choosing chose. #games4ed
Definitely a great point. I had a color-based design assignment with Macbeth, and though most chose digital method, a few still wanted to get out the markers and drawing paper. Sometimes it just feels good to go old school #games4ed
A3 - There is a chance that some of my students might have a power up item as well that will allow them certain abilities during a boss battle, such as hints, study notes, etc. #games4ed
A3) This year I started doing a "Supply Drop" before the test where students are reminded of the key topics in the unit and they evaluate how they might use them on the test. #games4ed
My Ss have their English Notebooks and can use them on all assessments it’s their oracle of knowledge - my class is not about memorization but applying skills #games4ed
A4: I think reflection journals or specific reflection questions in assessment should count for a significant amount of points so students continue to fall in love with the content or how they use it, not just memorize. #games4ed
I'm with @teachingfactor that my grades/points are separate. Ss can earn points for other activities (or just luck sometimes), while grades are earned through work, corrections, and end-of-unit conferences #games4ed
A4) I wish I had (or used) more time for reflection. I've done some Mission Debriefs where I share sample test answers as a class and we deconstruct them. It is very effective but takes time. #games4ed
A4: Part of my practice includes a grade reflection. What did you do well, what helped you, what areas do you need help with? This is needed especially when they ask for a retake #games4ed
Every quest ends with some sort of reflection. It is key for learn to learn my Ss thinking and add what they know that I might not have assessed or noticed #games4ed
And I love that you allow everything. Me too. Got vocab notes? Feel free to use them. Need to check spelling? Go for it. That's what you would do for a job, right? #Games4ed
My Ss have their English Notebooks and can use them on all assessments it’s their oracle of knowledge - my class is not about memorization but applying skills #games4ed
Someone once mentioned adding a "What question would you have liked to see and was not asked". Your response just reminded me of that and hopefully I won't forget again #makinganote#games4ed
Our numeracy lessons are presented as rooms in a dungeon, and I reward thorough and accurate work with items and loot. I often compare incomplete work to a low investigation check and encourage Ss to go back and “take a closer look” #Games4ed
A4: I've been using @sowntogrow quite a bit this year for reflections. Ss reflect on objectives and how they did, and then I add my reflections of their work. Then we chat and grade. Time consuming, but importnat #games4ed
And I love that you allow everything. Me too. Got vocab notes? Feel free to use them. Need to check spelling? Go for it. That's what you would do for a job, right? #Games4ed
Partial amen from me. I've limited what my kids can use this year strictly for time purposes. They were coming in unprepared and spending WAY too much time digging through notes. Organizing them ahead of time by topic has helped limit their time searching. #games4ed
That was another fast and crazy and enlightening hour of #games4ed! Love the Goose Chase idea, and I've got some new ideas for more student choice on upcoming semester tests.
Thank you ALL! Have a wonderful weekend--and holiday season!! #games4ed
Someone once mentioned adding a "What question would you have liked to see and was not asked". Your response just reminded me of that and hopefully I won't forget again #makinganote#games4ed
And that totally makes sense. Plus, you're teaching soft skills doing that. They probably gain just as much doing the organizing as they do from the assessment #games4ed
I've done this in the past....and I need to do it again! I just had Ss set writing goals for next semester....I will use that extra space for that! Thanks for the great reminder! #games4ed
I see that too and taught Ss the book mark strategy and also give graphic organizer to pull out textual evidence. Ss awarded for their preparation & use of these tools - game changer #games4ed
I have. Every so often a couple of days before I have students turn in questions letting them know that I'll select some from those. It is sometimes crazy what they come up with and the love it when they find "their question" included ;) #games4ed
