Using Games for Effective Classroom

Instruction and Review

TROLL COUNTRY TRAILS

Skeptical MeAs a rule, I have been quite skeptical of games in classrooms. Too often, they just seemed to be a way to entertain parts of a class while other students stood and watched, or worse yet, drifted away. I also wondered if they resulted in increased proficiency with content or skills.

I questioned:• If the game responded appropriately

to the demands of the state standards, and now the common core.

• If the game used researched based high yield instructional strategies.

• If the game led to an entire class of highly engaged students

• If the game responded to the various modalities of learning.

• If the game allowed for differentiation of instruction.

• If the game could produce data to lead to more focused approaches to learning.

• Does the game take into account Blooms Taxonomy and challenge students at the mid to upper levels of cognitive development?

The Troll Country Game:

As you can see from the game we are playing today, the questions can be any that can be answered on a post-it note or 3”x5” card, so the teacher can ensure that the common core is truly addressed.

The Troll Country Game:

Marzano’s High Yield Instructional Strategies used in playing this game:

1. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition

2. Cooperative Learning3. Setting objectives and providing

feedback4. Questions, cues, and advanced

organizers

The Troll Country Game:

Appealing to Howard Gardner’s Modalities of Learning in playing this game:

1. Linguistic2. Bodily-kinesthetic3. Interpersonal4. Intrapersonal

Examples of highly engaged students engaged in various modalities of learning.

The Troll Country Game:

One way that I addressed differentiation was to team up the highest performing students in class with the lowest performing students in class and make them the goat team. I then required everyone to challenge the same number of times.

1. Higher performing students assisted and ‘tutored’ lower performing students for challenges.

2. Lower performing students were able to experience authentic success!

Sample Data

Sample Data

Sample Data

The Troll Country Game:

Addressing Bloom’s Taxonomy:

Today’s Examples

English

Math

French 2

U.S. History

Biology

Elementary Social Studies

So … what can you do?1. Take the rules of the game.2. Choose your two opposing forces:(It doesn’t have to be goats & trolls)• Could be Mountaineer vs. Blue Devils• The Tarheels vs. The Wolfpack

3. Create your own game board4. Create your own questions5. Get Started!It seems to me that the more my students play the game, the more they like it.