TetzMathPortfolio
“Games have grown up, and playing them is no longer reserved for children. In fact, the ability to play may be the single most important skill to develop for the 21st century.” (Thomas & Brown, 2011)
Discovering Foxhaven
Passion and Curiosity Quotients in my work
This work is an edited version of a previously published blog post. See below for the link to the original post.
Looking at an article by Thomas L Friedman that talks about his belief that the Passion Quotient and Curiosity Quotient will be as helpful and in some cases more helpful in the future than Intelligent Quotient at having the right people doing the right jobs. While I do not think the situation is as dire as he makes it out to be I agree that passion and curiosity are valuable traits to have and to foster in my students.
I was challenged, in response to this article, to create something with some digital technology that shows our passion and curiosity in our job and how we use digital technology to foster that passion and creativity in our students. When I got this assignment I was really at a loss as to what to do to show my P.Q. and C.Q. that I have for my work, but I knew without a doubt that I show them everyday at work. When talking to my colleagues at lunch they said just film yourself doing anything and that will be good enough, but I was not satisfied with that.
I was inspired to try gamification in my classroom using points and badges to monitor formative assessment and to leave the marks that go on the report cards to summative assessments. I knew I wanted to do this, but I struggled with what that was going to look like. That is when I discovered the blog of Michael Matera. He has created a system that mimics the points, levels, and badges found in many digital games. I purchased his set of google spreadsheets and got started setting up my classes with it. Since I started investigating gamification in the classroom, I have seen many iMovie trailers on youtube. So for this project I decided to make one for myself. I had never used iMovie before but I felt confident I could do it, not to mention curious about the old fashion map animations I saw, so I got started. I decided to create the trailer to whet the curiosity of my students about what they could expect math to be like this year in the gamification world called Foxhaven.
My students asked to watch it a 2nd and sometimes a third time, depending on the class, and kept asking what the different pictures meant. The excitement was palpable in the room. I hope it continues as the year progresses. I can’t wait to start the exploration of Foxhaven in my classroom, hopefully it will help to foster curiosity in learning mathematics and create students who are passionate about learning as much as they possibly can. I do not look at the work I do as a job but as a calling, so I love what I do. Every year the learning needs of my students increase and as a result I need to be curious to figure out what exactly will work for each child. While Friedman labeled the CQ as curiosity quotient I think it would be better served to be Creativity Quotient. Nothing changes if you are just curious, it takes creativity to make the changes you want in the world.
Friedman, T (2013, January 29) It’s P.Q. and C.Q. as Much as I.Q.. The New York Times Opinion Pages. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/opinion/friedman-its-pq-and-cq-as-much-as-iq.html?_r=0
References from the iMovie trailer in order of appearance to make it easier to find what you want.
NASA/JPL-Caltech. (2005) NASA Scientist Finds World With Triple Sunsets [image file] Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/newworlds/threesun-071305a.html
Tangient LLC (2013) Landing on Mars [image file] retrieved from Mars 1650 wikispaces at http://mars1650.wikispaces.com/Landing+On+Mars
4EL Classroom connection (2013) 33078-Clipart-Illustration-Of-A-Female-Math-Teacher-And-Students-With-A-Calculator-And-Numbers Retrieved from http://teachers.saschina.org/elau/2013/04/08/math-survey/33078-clipart-illustration-of-a-female-math-teacher-and-students-with-a-calculator-and-numbers/
Wohl Isard (2013, August 22) OMG-AIMS [image file] Retrieved from Raising Arizona Kids http://rakadd.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/omg-aims/
The Physical Educator (2011, October 21) Responsibility Badges in Physical Education [image file]Retrieved from http://www.thephysicaleducator.com/blog/files/responsibility_badges.html
geralt (2006) learn note sign directory direction arrows street [image file] Retrieved from http://pixabay.com/en/learn-note-sign-directory-64058/
We Want To Know AS (2013) Dragonbox algebra http://dragonboxapp.com/
ABCya.com (2012) Virtual Manipulatives https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/virtual-manipulatives!/id471341079?mt=8
Tetz (2013) Education as a force for equality Retrieved from https://mathrocks4life.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/education-as-a-force-for-equality/
The Math Learning Center (2012) Geoboard https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/geoboard-by-math-learning/id519896952?mt=8
Thirteen (2011) Cyberchase http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/videos/
Holladay, Justin (2012) 4 Dice: Fraction Games https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/4-dice-fraction-games/id583546023?ls=1&mt=8
Launchpad Toys (n.d.) Toontastic https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toontastic/id404693282?mt=8
AR Entertainment (n.d.) Grid Drawing for Kids Lite https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grid-drawing-for-kids-lite/id581373862?mt=8
Brainingcamp, LLC (2012) Algebra Tiles https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/algebra-tiles/id568896224?mt=8
DigitWhiz Inc. (2013) DigitWhiz http://digitwhiz.com/
Alberta Education (2003) Math Continuum Retrieved from Learn Alberta http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mec/html/index.html?launch=true#
Conflux The Heptad Awaits
Conflux The Heptad Awaits
In a Grade 7 Math class on one of the first days of school, the students are settling into their first math task and the whispers begin. You assume they are off task, but what is happening may be more insidious. As you circulate the class you hear whispers of “this looks too hard”, “I’m not a math person”, “why bother trying, I can’t do it anyways”, “I’m done so I’m better than you” and many other iterations of the same. Those are only the external monologues that you hear and for many students the same battles are raging internally. “One of the curious aspects of our society is that it is socially acceptable to take pride in not being good in mathematics” (NCTM, 1991, para. 16). However, not being able to read is not socially acceptable nor is it declared openly. This dichotomy between the social acceptability of deficits in literacy and numeracy could be one of the contributing factors to the prevalence of this negative self-talk in mathematics.
While the students are starting a new school, they are a product of their previous experiences (Ignacio, Nieto, & Barona, 2006), which for many have been less than pleasant. This negative feeling towards mathematics and a student’s negative perception of their ability to perform in mathematics is often referred to as mathematics anxiety (Richardson & Suinn, 1972). This mathematics anxiety is a factor affecting mathematics performance and may be one of the most significant factors (Kesici & Erdogan, 2010). In 1972, Richardson and Suinn created the Mathematics Anxiety Rating scale so mathematics anxiety is not a new concept to education. Richardson and Suinn (1972) also recognized that mathematical anxiety was reducing the number of students willing to pursue careers that involved mathematics, science, or technology.
To try and find a way to combat these negative attitudes many students have towards mathematics, I decided to design a game that helped students to see the link between the Mathematical Habits of Mind (Cuoco, Goldenberg, & Mark, 1996) and mathematical success. While Game Designers have serious goals that they are trying to accomplish in the game that are stated overtly, there are other values inherent in the game that come about through a player’s interaction with the game. Ian Bogost (2009)calls these values Procedural Rhetoric because the experience comes not from the visuals, sounds, or text but through a player’s interaction with the game design and mechanics. Mary Flanagan and Dr. Helen Nissenbaum urge, in their work Values at Play (2014), game designers to ensure that the values embedded in a game are carefully considered.
During the creation of Conflux: The Heptad Awaits I focused on two values that I wanted players to experience through game play: co-operation and equality.
Co-operation is a core value in this game to help support the Serious Goals. In order for students to feel agency in their learning they need to feel that success is possible. For students who may already be struggling to interact with students who are not struggling, they need a level playing field that co-operation is able to provide. Co-operation allows all students the possibility of success, thus allowing all students to feel a sense of agency. In addition, co-operation allows students to work together to create a global class understanding of the language surrounding Habits and Skills that allow them to overcome difficulties in math class.
The second value that is core to this game is Equality. Math anxiety and the belief that one cannot do math affects students of all genders, races, ethnicities, and socio-economic standing so it is important that a game designed to help students overcome math difficulties is accessible by all students. To this end, I ensured that the quotes I used in the game came from people of diverse backgrounds. As well, it was important that the pictures chosen did not reinforce any racial, ethnic, or gender stereotypes. This game was also designed to be a board and card game to ensure that access to technology would not be a limiting factor as to who could play the game.
Bogost, I. (2009, January 01). Persuasive Games: The Proceduralist Style. Retrieved from Gamasutra: The Art & Business of Making Games: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132302/persuasive_games_the_.php
Cuoco, A., Goldenberg, E., & Mark, J. (1996). Habits of Mind: Organizing Principles for Mathematics Curricula. Journal of Mathematical Behaviour, 15, 375-402.
Flanagan, M., & Nissenbaum, H. (2014). Values At Play in Digital Games. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Ignacio, N., Nieto, L., & Barona, E. (2006, October). The Affective Domain in Mathematics Learning. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 1(1), 16-32.
Kesici, S., & Erdogan, A. (2010, Fall). Mathematics Anxiety According to Middle School Students' Achievement Motivation and Social Comparison. Education, 131(1), 54-63.
NCTM. (1991). 1991 Professional Standards. Retrieved from Principles and Standards for School Mathematics: http://www.fayar.net/east/teacher.web/math/Standards/Previous/ProfStds/NextSteps.htm
Richardson, F., & Suinn, R. (1972). The Mathematics Anxiety Rating scale:Psychometric data. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19(6), 551-554. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0033456
