Here is what Sandra has to say: Sandra AshleyJuly 13, 2017 at 3:22 AM Finished with reading pages 1-33, plus a bit of the introduction. I also tried to look up any web info. on Michael Matera and he looked so different than how I had imagined. I guess I imagined a scholarly professor-type individual,, and he actually looked like my stero-typical imaginary image of a gamer. I must say, I was surprised. I listened to his ideas as he was interviewed by a radio host, and what he said on air went right along with what his book is telling us.
I have to say, sometimes I am a bit confused by our system's expectations, because I feel that in grading of some of our very serious exams, we are teaching our students to be very specific, and have even shown them examples of "right" versus "wrong" when it comes to essays they must write for core exams. Some of the essays we show them are pretty good but they are missing key elements so the student isn't able to earn full credit, rather than telling them to use their imaginations a pour their heart onto the page. I feel like we are giving them some mixed messages.
I do like the idea of gamification, and incorporating the mandatory curriculum, but I think it might need some balance. You could find yourself spending a lot of time on one particular unit when you may need to move on to cover additional material. Mr. Matera did state, however, that his students did enjoy this method of learning so much, that many were taking the time to work on this outside of the classroom. I could definitely see this being used to unify subject areas and provide the student with a deeper understanding of what they are learning in school.
The time involved in putting a lesson like this together? Well, I have no idea. Mr. Matera did say to start small and you can always build from there. To be honest, the slide show we created for our Civil Rights Era Unit, where the students selected a room in a museum to present their information with a voice-over recording and photographs from their topic kind of reminded me of Mr. Matera's "Castle" on one of his presentations that I looked up.
At first the task did seem a bit daunting to one who is still growing in the use of technology, but it did wind up being a lot of fun and the students really did take ownership of the information for which they were responsible. One typical complaint was, "I hate my voice when recorded," and I could totally identify with that, but once we got over the hurdle, we were good to go and it really prepared us for our end- of-the-year middle-school slide presentation.
I could go on and on, and I've never done this (blogging) before, so I'm not sure of the expectations...... especially having no rubric to follow...... just kidding. I love that gamification incorporates each of the student's strengths. I feel that it could also bring unity in the classroom, which is a real benefit, there would be collaboration, discussion, and constructive criticism, (at least that's what we would hope for).
Again, time may be an issue. So, I look forward to the next chapters where Mr. Matera will, hopefully, address that potential difficulty. Personally, I feel like so much of our project-based learning really seems to address so many of the goals discussed in this book. Engaging the students and teaching them to take responsibility for their learning.
I agree with you about the confusion and mixed messages of our system's expectations- be creative, but make sure you follow ALL elements of the rubric to gain the most points and get the highest score. On the 11th grade Common Core English Regents exam there is no place for creativity or writing a response that is not based on elements of literature. I believe that if the system valued that, it would be included.
I also want to know how long it took him to plan his games. I hope that will be addressed later in the book.
Right--I kept thinking about how time consuming the Imhotep challenge must have been especially in light of how much I hate making scavenger hunts! I would guess as we start to pay closer attention to games around us, this will become a less time consuming task.
I am enjoying the book so far, and I have some thoughts on the first part:
I like that Matera started with the Myths of Gaming and debunked those first. One part that I connected with was from page 12: “As teachers, we have been trained to provide little challenge. We are taught to model, model, and then model some more. By the time students get to create, they feel little motivation to do so. . . . We show them ‘behind the curtain’ too early in the in the acquisition process by giving them rubrics that spell out each and every detail they will need to address to succeed.” I like the clarity of rubrics and my students do too. I/we have trained them to follow rubrics while creating and/or editing their work in order to be successful and demonstrate they have the skills we want them to have. Should we sometimes not share them with our students to promote creativity? Wouldn’t this cause some students unnecessary anxiety? What do you all think?
Page 17- I only have one gaming app on my phone- Oprah’s !!! haha. There is music (not distracting), sounds, colors, movement and the three elements of Csikszentmihalyi’s: choice, content and challenge. I don’t play it that often, but I do sometimes get lost in the flow. He is right.
The Example of the Extraordinary on pages 30-31 was also helpful to me. I connected the challenge to the elements of plot- start with the exposition and introducing the conflict (Architect Imhotep has gone missing), add rising action, etc…., and I love scavenger hunts. However, I want more details about how he planned it, how long it took him and the students to finish it, did they get extra credit or were they doing it for pure fun?
Random question: 1. Why is XP in “EXPLORE” Like a Pirate red and large? Clearly, I am missing something here …..
Thanks for organizing this, Captain Carlisto! (OMG- I am so lame)
As I was reading your thoughts about page 12 all I keep thinking about is the way Ben Ellis taught at our school. No rubrics and pure creativity. It was really hard for the first group of students to have him. They really needed that rubric to know what to do.
If we want stundents to think creatively without confines are rubrics a disservice- I think it may depend on the rubric.
I agree. I vaguely remember some conflict and hullabaloo with Ben's grading system. If there is no rubric, what do we use as a guide? AND- what do we use when handing back the work as a guide for our students to improve?
Amy, I think that the rubric that Matera is speaking of is the rubric that explains exactly what criteria is expected from the students i.e. names 5 important facts; has 3 pictures ; uses colour; etc. Olaf and I have had several conversations about creative grading and we think for starters, using our current rubric for projects and make that worth 85% of the grade and the remaining percentage is for work that they completed over and above the requirements. It is a good place to start.
Ha--The extension of the pirate metaphor in the beginning drove me NUTS and will probably drive me crazy for the remainder of the book. I too am wondering if bragging rights was the only motivation for staying in. I think for me it would be enough BUT it is kids we are dealing with. While I enjoy a well thought out scavenger hunt--I HATE making them so I am a little daunted by the prospect of turning things into a game as I feel I lack the creativity.
I did finally sit down to read the book and like the promise of getting kids to "strive to do the extraordinary". I, however, as indicated in my response to Amy's post, am a bit cowed by this task. I think I am going to spend more time paying attention to what draws me to a game. I have not truly considered the psychology of games. I think I just play and have not truly deconstructed WHY I like to play. Like Amy, I have very few games on my phone that are mine but holy heck my boys have 7500 or more. Perhaps I will explore those and begin the process of deconstruction.
This idea of flow is intriguing. I'm thinking Matera must employ some means of differentiation within the classroom as we are dealing with marked differences in students' ability levels. What might be a challenge for some would clearly be boring for others. I think that reality is one that may be difficult to maneuver. For sure not impossible but one that might require much planning and of course responsiveness. I worry that I may recognize it is not working but not be able to figure out how to make it work! I'm anxious to see more of the nuts and bolts of what he is selling us here.
Unfortunately, I hate video games but love board games. I have none on my phone. The men in my house love video games and I just don't see the excitement. I guess I will have to start studing why they love it so.
After watching the video I posted above I think I can wrap my brain around some low tech gamifying. As they have stated start small with a theme and a story line. As things progress than add more peices. Matera states that he started with small elements (one unit) and then it took him 4 years before he expanded.
I have never been a video game person, but I too love board games. As I was reading your posts, I was thinking about the difference for me between the two styles. I like the social aspect of board games. Playing and laughing with friends and family are the highlight for me. As I first started reading the book, I was too connected to the video game perception and wondered how the non gamers could connect. Now I'm thinking about how much students love to socialize and what an attraction that would be for many of them.
Right now I am enjoying the fruit of gamification as I work one on one with a young boy who is autistic . For him, education the old-fashioned way just doesn't cut it. He has taught me to be flexible and creative as my ideas of how to play a game and his don't always mesh. I am learning to go with the flow and watch his enjoyment as he comes up with some extremely inventive ideas. We both enjoy this style of learning way more than merely going through phonics flashcards. Instead he made a pathway of paper plates with letters and said them as he created an obstacle course around the room. However, it may be more difficult to address the needs of the larger class. On page 54 Matera discussed the different personalities involved in gaming. One type he failed to address was the "That's stupid, and I hate all technology" personality. We had a couple of those in our class this past year, and it really took quite some doing to get them to feel comfortable with the keyboard, rather than a pencil and eraser. Then, the other personality type was the "very sneaky" type. That was the other half of the class who LOVED technology, yet mainly for the social apps. that they were not allowed to be on and would try to access anytime we were not right there behind them. I realize this isn't just about computer games, it's about new strategies of making learning interesting, engaging, and fun. I do look forward to keeping an open mind and stretching my level of comfort in effort to motivate the kids. I really liked the quote taken from Zig Ziglar, "Your attitude determines your altitude." Kristen and I have been trying to think of motivational quotes to place around the room this school year and I feel as though this may be one that we'll use. I am eager to find out what method Matera uses to grade his students. Like it or not, at the end of the day, grades still are extremely important. I must also confess that I'm not too fond of the box charts that Matera makes use of; they seem counterintuitive as he tells us to think outside the box. I feel as though his style is very systematic, and maybe could be a bit more free-flowing. Although this style is quite effective for clear and concise understanding.
I am starting late. I'd like to say it solely has to do with the fact it's been a busy summer but I've also been lazy. Anyway, take #1 is gaming is wide open and can take many different forms. I have begun to give kids tasks to get into the room or tasks to complete while in the room(pretend you are on a train, pretend you are on a plane, you need to barter, exchange money, etc.). It's nice to know that I have been "gaming" in a small capacity. I can't imagine doing this on a chapter or year long level. I can say the incidences I have put in have been superbly successful and students participate and remember these days over most.
You know gaming can take on many forms, not just apps and board games but be more like mini-challenges that keeps one motivated to keep moving forward. All of us have a little competitiveness be it intrinsically or for me needing that external force to push pass the laziness. Think of your Fitbit rewards or your air miles points ( or is that just a Canadian thing), your free coffee or milk when you buy ten, your paycheck. It all works on the same psychologically principal of "reward your efforts". Matera has used intrigue to set up his challenges and thus engaging his students and to keep them interested he is rewarding them with things other than grades.
Here is what Sandra has to say:
ReplyDeleteSandra AshleyJuly 13, 2017 at 3:22 AM
Finished with reading pages 1-33, plus a bit of the introduction. I also tried to look up any web info. on Michael Matera and he looked so different than how I had imagined. I guess I imagined a scholarly professor-type individual,, and he actually looked like my stero-typical imaginary image of a gamer. I must say, I was surprised. I listened to his ideas as he was interviewed by a radio host, and what he said on air went right along with what his book is telling us.
I have to say, sometimes I am a bit confused by our system's expectations, because I feel that in grading of some of our very serious exams, we are teaching our students to be very specific, and have even shown them examples of "right" versus "wrong" when it comes to essays they must write for core exams. Some of the essays we show them are pretty good but they are missing key elements so the student isn't able to earn full credit, rather than telling them to use their imaginations a pour their heart onto the page. I feel like we are giving them some mixed messages.
I do like the idea of gamification, and incorporating the mandatory curriculum, but I think it might need some balance. You could find yourself spending a lot of time on one particular unit when you may need to move on to cover additional material. Mr. Matera did state, however, that his students did enjoy this method of learning so much, that many were taking the time to work on this outside of the classroom. I could definitely see this being used to unify subject areas and provide the student with a deeper understanding of what they are learning in school.
The time involved in putting a lesson like this together? Well, I have no idea. Mr. Matera did say to start small and you can always build from there. To be honest, the slide show we created for our Civil Rights Era Unit, where the students selected a room in a museum to present their information with a voice-over recording and photographs from their topic kind of reminded me of Mr. Matera's "Castle" on one of his presentations that I looked up.
At first the task did seem a bit daunting to one who is still growing in the use of technology, but it did wind up being a lot of fun and the students really did take ownership of the information for which they were responsible. One typical complaint was, "I hate my voice when recorded," and I could totally identify with that, but once we got over the hurdle, we were good to go and it really prepared us for our end- of-the-year middle-school slide presentation.
I could go on and on, and I've never done this (blogging) before, so I'm not sure of the expectations...... especially having no rubric to follow...... just kidding. I love that gamification incorporates each of the student's strengths. I feel that it could also bring unity in the classroom, which is a real benefit, there would be collaboration, discussion, and constructive criticism, (at least that's what we would hope for).
Again, time may be an issue. So, I look forward to the next chapters where Mr. Matera will, hopefully, address that potential difficulty. Personally, I feel like so much of our project-based learning really seems to address so many of the goals discussed in this book. Engaging the students and teaching them to take responsibility for their learning.
REPLYDELETE
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Hi Sandra,
DeleteI agree with you about the confusion and mixed messages of our system's expectations- be creative, but make sure you follow ALL elements of the rubric to gain the most points and get the highest score. On the 11th grade Common Core English Regents exam there is no place for creativity or writing a response that is not based on elements of literature. I believe that if the system valued that, it would be included.
I also want to know how long it took him to plan his games. I hope that will be addressed later in the book.
Right--I kept thinking about how time consuming the Imhotep challenge must have been especially in light of how much I hate making scavenger hunts! I would guess as we start to pay closer attention to games around us, this will become a less time consuming task.
DeleteAhoy, Mateys!
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying the book so far, and I have some thoughts on the first part:
I like that Matera started with the Myths of Gaming and debunked those first. One part that I connected with was from page 12: “As teachers, we have been trained to provide little challenge. We are taught to model, model, and then model some more. By the time students get to create, they feel little motivation to do so. . . . We show them ‘behind the curtain’ too early in the in the acquisition process by giving them rubrics that spell out each and every detail they will need to address to succeed.”
I like the clarity of rubrics and my students do too. I/we have trained them to follow rubrics while creating and/or editing their work in order to be successful and demonstrate they have the skills we want them to have. Should we sometimes not share them with our students to promote creativity? Wouldn’t this cause some students unnecessary anxiety? What do you all think?
Page 17- I only have one gaming app on my phone- Oprah’s !!! haha. There is music (not distracting), sounds, colors, movement and the three elements of Csikszentmihalyi’s: choice, content and challenge. I don’t play it that often, but I do sometimes get lost in the flow. He is right.
The Example of the Extraordinary on pages 30-31 was also helpful to me. I connected the challenge to the elements of plot- start with the exposition and introducing the conflict (Architect Imhotep has gone missing), add rising action, etc…., and I love scavenger hunts. However, I want more details about how he planned it, how long it took him and the students to finish it, did they get extra credit or were they doing it for pure fun?
Random question:
1. Why is XP in “EXPLORE” Like a Pirate red and large? Clearly, I am missing something here …..
Thanks for organizing this, Captain Carlisto! (OMG- I am so lame)
I too enjoyed the myth busters first!
DeleteAs I was reading your thoughts about page 12 all I keep thinking about is the way Ben Ellis taught at our school. No rubrics and pure creativity. It was really hard for the first group of students to have him. They really needed that rubric to know what to do.
If we want stundents to think creatively without confines are rubrics a disservice- I think it may depend on the rubric.
I agree. I vaguely remember some conflict and hullabaloo with Ben's grading system. If there is no rubric, what do we use as a guide? AND- what do we use when handing back the work as a guide for our students to improve?
DeleteAmy, I think that the rubric that Matera is speaking of is the rubric that explains exactly what criteria is expected from the students i.e. names 5 important facts; has 3 pictures ; uses colour; etc. Olaf and I have had several conversations about creative grading and we think for starters, using our current rubric for projects and make that worth 85% of the grade and the remaining percentage is for work that they completed over and above the requirements. It is a good place to start.
DeleteAlso, the XP is for experience - a game reference. The more XP you have the more knowledge, power, points you have. I think.
DeleteHa--The extension of the pirate metaphor in the beginning drove me NUTS and will probably drive me crazy for the remainder of the book.
ReplyDeleteI too am wondering if bragging rights was the only motivation for staying in. I think for me it would be enough BUT it is kids we are dealing with. While I enjoy a well thought out scavenger hunt--I HATE making them so I am a little daunted by the prospect of turning things into a game as I feel I lack the creativity.
http://www.teachercast.net/2016/11/22/explore-like-pirate/
DeleteI found this video that helps clarify some stuff. It is a bit clunky at times but there is value in watching it.
I did finally sit down to read the book and like the promise of getting kids to "strive to do the extraordinary". I, however, as indicated in my response to Amy's post, am a bit cowed by this task. I think I am going to spend more time paying attention to what draws me to a game. I have not truly considered the psychology of games. I think I just play and have not truly deconstructed WHY I like to play. Like Amy, I have very few games on my phone that are mine but holy heck my boys have 7500 or more. Perhaps I will explore those and begin the process of deconstruction.
ReplyDeleteThis idea of flow is intriguing. I'm thinking Matera must employ some means of differentiation within the classroom as we are dealing with marked differences in students' ability levels. What might be a challenge for some would clearly be boring for others. I think that reality is one that may be difficult to maneuver. For sure not impossible but one that might require much planning and of course responsiveness. I worry that I may recognize it is not working but not be able to figure out how to make it work! I'm anxious to see more of the nuts and bolts of what he is selling us here.
Unfortunately, I hate video games but love board games. I have none on my phone. The men in my house love video games and I just don't see the excitement. I guess I will have to start studing why they love it so.
DeleteAfter watching the video I posted above I think I can wrap my brain around some low tech gamifying. As they have stated start small with a theme and a story line. As things progress than add more peices. Matera states that he started with small elements (one unit) and then it took him 4 years before he expanded.
I have never been a video game person, but I too love board games. As I was reading your posts, I was thinking about the difference for me between the two styles. I like the social aspect of board games. Playing and laughing with friends and family are the highlight for me.
DeleteAs I first started reading the book, I was too connected to the video game perception and wondered how the non gamers could connect. Now I'm thinking about how much students love to socialize and what an attraction that would be for many of them.
Right now I am enjoying the fruit of gamification as I work one on one with a young boy who is autistic . For him, education the old-fashioned way just doesn't cut it. He has taught me to be flexible and creative as my ideas of how to play a game and his don't always mesh. I am learning to go with the flow and watch his enjoyment as he comes up with some extremely inventive ideas. We both enjoy this style of learning way more than merely going through phonics flashcards. Instead he made a pathway of paper plates with letters and said them as he created an obstacle course around the room. However, it may be more difficult to address the needs of the larger class.
ReplyDeleteOn page 54 Matera discussed the different personalities involved in gaming. One type he failed to address was the "That's stupid, and I hate all technology" personality. We had a couple of those in our class this past year, and it really took quite some doing to get them to feel comfortable with the keyboard, rather than a pencil and eraser. Then, the other personality type was the "very sneaky" type. That was the other half of the class who LOVED technology, yet mainly for the social apps. that they were not allowed to be on and would try to access anytime we were not right there behind them.
I realize this isn't just about computer games, it's about new strategies of making learning interesting, engaging, and fun. I do look forward to keeping an open mind and stretching my level of comfort in effort to motivate the kids. I really liked the quote taken from Zig Ziglar, "Your attitude determines your altitude." Kristen and I have been trying to think of motivational quotes to place around the room this school year and I feel as though this may be one that we'll use. I am eager to find out what method Matera uses to grade his students. Like it or not, at the end of the day, grades still are extremely important.
I must also confess that I'm not too fond of the box charts that Matera makes use of; they seem counterintuitive as he tells us to think outside the box. I feel as though his style is very systematic, and maybe could be a bit more free-flowing. Although this style is quite effective for clear and concise understanding.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2QQNsq2vv0SbGlhS2U4RXVKUVk/view?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteTeach like a Pirate hooks
I am starting late. I'd like to say it solely has to do with the fact it's been a busy summer but I've also been lazy.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, take #1 is gaming is wide open and can take many different forms. I have begun to give kids tasks to get into the room or tasks to complete while in the room(pretend you are on a train, pretend you are on a plane, you need to barter, exchange money, etc.). It's nice to know that I have been "gaming" in a small capacity. I can't imagine doing this on a chapter or year long level. I can say the incidences I have put in have been superbly successful and students participate and remember these days over most.
You know gaming can take on many forms, not just apps and board games but be more like mini-challenges that keeps one motivated to keep moving forward. All of us have a little competitiveness be it intrinsically or for me needing that external force to push pass the laziness. Think of your Fitbit rewards or your air miles points ( or is that just a Canadian thing), your free coffee or milk when you buy ten, your paycheck. It all works on the same psychologically principal of "reward your efforts". Matera has used intrigue to set up his challenges and thus engaging his students and to keep them interested he is rewarding them with things other than grades.
ReplyDelete