Progress Monitoring and "Pokemon"? Using RPG to Engage Students in Data
10:08 AM
Okay, I will admit it…I
don’t like progress monitoring! Don’t get me wrong, I live for those moments
where I have solid data to prove that my instruction is working! That is why I
am a teacher. But paperwork, analyzing data for hours, and hearing students
whine about “assessments”, is not my idea of a good time. But my attitude
changed the day I had a conversation with a friend about progress monitoring
with "Pokemon"!
What is Progress Monitoring?
First, let’s make sure we
are speaking the same language…what is progress monitoring? Progress monitoring
is when teachers, well, monitor progress. It is how we document how well
students are benefiting from our classroom instruction. When we go to the
doctor, we often leave having scheduled a follow up appointment. This is
because the doctor needs to monitor the effectiveness of their prescribed plan
of care. As teachers, we also need to monitor the effectiveness of our
instructional plan, to identify individual student needs. Progress monitoring
is often utilized within the RTI process and targeted towards at-risk students.
However, progress monitoring with Pokemon brings high-engagement to the entire
class!
Benefits of RPG in the classroom
When administering any
trial, it is important to control as many variables as you can. The same is
true when using progress monitoring to determine lesson effectiveness. One
major variable that we struggle “controlling” with our students is motivation
and engagement. Keeping students motivated and engaged helps us have a better
idea if the tools and technologies we use are effective. If only there was a
system where they were wanting to catch every objective, organize and focus
their learning, and “level up” their current skills…sound familiar. Pokemon’ is
a Role-playing game (RPG), a situation in which players take on the role of a
fictitious character on a quest. Along their quest characters make decisions
which develop their character. RPG games have proven to be engaging and highly addictive,
creating a fantasy where every decision brings a new adventure. Just look at
the high success rate of famous RPG games like Pokemon, Fable, Kingdom Hearts, Star
Wars, Super Mario Brothers, and the Final Fantasy franchise. The wildly
successful Prodigy Math game even brought RPG into the math classroom! As
teachers, we can capitalize on this excitement and marry its benefits with
progress monitoring. Here are a few thing sto consider when bringing RPG into
the classroom:
Create your character
 |
| (Character customization from Prodigy Math Game) |
An essential role to an RPG
game is the role-playing! In an RPG game the players have a role, and are often
given the opportunity to customize the look and/or name of their character.
This step is not essential to using RPG for progress monitoring, however it
provides a creative addition if time allows. You can also embed content into
this step. For example, create a set of glyph directions where students choose
their characteristics to develop their character. (For an example see Geometry Monster GlyphsFREEBIE )
Set up the Quest/World Map
 |
| (World Map from Prodigy Math Game) |
Every RPG game involves a
quest: What are the characters trying to accomplish? How many levels/worlds/challenges
will they have to complete it? When
using RPG in progress monitoring, this step should include student and/or
classroom goals/objectives? These goals can include content, behavior, and/or
classroom management. Once you have decided your goals and objectives, consider
creating a visual that can be used to display progression and focus learning.
 |
| Example: Use Pokemon as a RPG progress monitoring tool. Each goal is a different Pokemon, visual shows students how they can capture each Pokemon |
Create a Journal to chart progress
 |
| Example: Students can create a Pokedex to chart which goals they have achieved) |
When progress monitoring it is important to be able to quickly determine how students are performing relative to the instruction given. This involves being able to chart student growth and data, a process that can lead to burnout among students. However, in a RPG setting the characters often have access to a journal. At any time, the character can use the journal to see what weapons and skills they possess to help complete the upcoming challenges. When bringing RPG into the classroom, provide students with a journal they can use to chart their progress. The journal should include space for the student to describe/write the goal and mark when the goal has been achieved.
Reward Growth
Make sure to take the time
to celebrate success! When playing an RPG game, payers gain points, stars,
coins, level ups, costume changes, etc. to reward them for defeating enemies
and completing challenges. This same system can be brought into the classroom
to reward students for accomplishing goals. These rewards should range in
value, however there needs to be clear steps to determine how rewards are
attained. Rewards can also be differentiated according to the difficulty level
of the goal.
(Check out these FREE classroom reward coupons!)
(Check out these FREE classroom reward coupons!)
Create Opportunities to “level ups” and “Mini challenges”
One reason that RPG games are so addictive is the constant opportunity for improvement. Even if you have completed each task, you can keep playing to “level up” your characters. As we are using RPG to monitor student progress consider how their skills can be “leveled up.” Look for standards which are “extensions” (For example, adding and subtracting within 1000 is an extension of adding and subtracting within 100) and provide these as an opportunity to level up. This allows students to see connections and progressions in what they are learning.
RPG games also often offer
special side challenges and games that characters can add to their journal. We
can mimic this in the classroom by providing special challenges and problem
solving opportunities. These can be used as special badges/honors to be earned
and placed in their journal.
Get started on your RPG Classroom!
With a little creativity, we can bring engaging RPG elements into our classrooms, and use their benefits for student success. RPG games provide a platform where players make decisions which lead them to becoming stronger and more experienced. Players can also see how their level of experience and set of skills directly effects their ability to complete tasks. As teachers, this is the power we want our students. This is the environment that can be created by bringing RPG elements into the classroom!
If you would like help in
bringing RPG elements into your classroom, please feel free to contact me at creativemathnerd@gmail.com!
I would love to add your
examples to this post! Please let me know how you bring RPG in the classroom in
the comments below. Or email examples and pictures to creativemathnerd@gmail.com!
by Creative Nerd
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