III. ASSESSING & ALTERING

OBJECTIVES

- To examine methods for measuring effectiveness.

- To gather and use data in altering or tailoring our games.

- To set standards for our own success.

ACTIVITY

Now it's time to try it out, but first you have to establish for yourself what it is you are looking for, and certainly a single pass at your game cannot indicate its success- that's like saying after a single lesson, the students didn't understand the material, so in many ways your game is one of strategy and trying to make the proper changes that will get you your desired results, but to do so, we are going to need some data.

ANALYZING DATA: TRIVIA

It's easy to lose sight of the purpose of our games, trivia in particular. It is difficult to say that we have gotten off of topic when students are undoubtedly interested in the new inquiry that has developed. In my STEM class it is acceptable when the students are hit with a strange trivia question that piques their interest in the new topic, that we continue and explore the inquiry, however, in some courses, there is much to be done and the standards are the standards, so we can't take too much time to go off of task. Involvement and clear interest is always one great indicator of instructional effectiveness, but that is not to say that if a student is not interested then it is because the instruction is poor- it's possible, but it's not always the case.

Two ways I propose to gauge effectiveness are:

1). Repeat questions after a fair amount of time has passed- it is often said that it takes 3 times to hear something before it is learned, and certainly I have found this to be true in respect to trivia. Likewise, reusing the same questions with different phrasing is a good approach to helping with test taking.

2). Collect the data. Just the same as pop quizes and traditional testing, we are looking to gain data, so forms like trivia can be considered the same as the other forms, just an oral assessment. Below is a sample score sheet that mirrors the ones I use to keep track of my students.

SCORE SHEET:

It is from this information that I will base my strategy, i.e. LISA and NORA need to get involved . . . perhaps they are spending too much time socializing with each other, so I need to figure out what interests them, and perhaps by engaging one of them, the other will follow- that is actually a common situation based on my group. Maria has a strong sense of pop-culture (the C is Cutural questions)-- Can I bridge that into history, language or perhaps science? Science questions seem to favor the boys- is it that they are more interested or does my approach favor the boys? How can I get Tommy involved? Phil does well with science because he has a fair understanding of Latin prefixes and roots, can he teach this to Marvon and Jamaal in group work? Can I find more math questions to help Juan with his confidence?

This is where (as indicated in the Curriculum Map) steps 2 and 3 can continue to go back and forth with developing and redeveloping the questions.

ANALYZING DATA: SIMULATIONS

Gaining data from simulations is considerably more difficult, but can be done in a highly formal or entirely informal way. What most often emerges from simulations is reflected in language. Essentially, does the language and conclusions drawn by the individual reflect the process that we are trying to teach? We gauge actors in a way that is similar, and cringe when they say something that is "out of character," or once again, not representative of the pertinent process.

EXAMPLE: Certainly mock trials or diplomacy simulations would reflect the speech involved. Simulations of literature (plays/role playing) would reflect a connection to the text and its content.

INTERPRETING DATA

Were the results what you expected? and if not, why? Was it your expectations or your approach that need adjusting? Students are strange creatures, each motivated very differently- they are full of surprises, particularly when it comes to their real skills and abilities which are presented in games when application trumps rote memorization. In the case of simulations, if the students are not using the proper language, this indicated a lack of understanding and will let you know exactly what you need to address. Likewise, if there is a misunderstanding about a particular process, then it is relatively simple to identify which part of the process might need clarification.

GROUP DISCUSSION

It's time to discuss your students and their needs. If you have gotten the opportunity to try your game, then you will have concrete data to draw conclusions from, otherwise, you should consider some of your students from the past or students you have interacted with before and focus on the discovery process you encountered with them. What was that "ah ha" moment you encountered with them? How did it come about that you discovered their educational needs? Share and discuss.

NAVIGATE

I. TYPES of GAMES I._TYPES_of_GAMES#NAVIGATE

II. SELECTING & DEVELOPING II._SELECTING_&_DEVELOPING

III. ASSESSING & ALTERING III._ASSESSING_&_ALTERING

IV. SELF-REFLECTION & REPEAT IV._SELF-REFLECTION_&_REPEAT