CREATING LEARNING ADVENTURES

WHAT WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT What is a learning adventure? The difference between the original learning adventures and Learning Adventures 2.0 Gamification elements Linking to a developmental progression How to make one Benefits of using them Challenges of using them

What is a learning adventure?

WHAT IS A LEARNING ADVENTURE? Students work independently through an activity booklet They complete activities in the activity booklet or in their exercise book Each time they finish an activity they come and show the teacher The teacher decides if the activity has been completed successfully – if so, this gets recorded on a spreadsheet that tracks XP and what level they are at If the activity hasn’t been done correctly, you quickly reteach the material and they redo it

WHAT IS A LEARNING ADVENTURE? It swaps the learning from teacher-led to student-led Content knowledge: students learn at their own pace by reading textbooks or watching YouTube videos They then do automatically scored tests to see if they know their stuff Historical skills The booklet contains the teaching of each skill, worked examples and a number of exercises The teacher then sees if they have done it correctly or not, if not, they reteach there and then to just that one student

Original learning adventures vs. learning adventures 2.0

learning adventures 1.0 Students worked in teams Why it changed: not every student demonstrated a lot of learning, students learn at different pace Random varied activities Why it changed: didn’t develop any specific history skills Only activities, no content knowledge Why it changed: assumed they would develop content knowledge incidentally… they didn’t

Gamification elements XP Levelling up Level XP Reward? Reward XP needed to go up 1 2 300 3 900 Yes coin 600 4 2700 1800 5 6500 3800 6 14000 medallion 7500 7 23000 9000

Link to developmental progression Avoids listing irrelevant information   Bases comparison of sources on aspects relevant to quality Lists most important information Finds two research sources Discusses aspects of sources most relevant to quality Completes Harvard-style bibliography Lists information Finds information page source Discusses the quality of primary sources Discusses the quality of secondary sources Includes author, date and title for sources Gets information from sources Finds useful sources Evaluates the quality of primary sources Evaluates the quality of secondary sources References research sources

Link to developmental progression   Compares primary and secondary sources Compares secondary sources based on important aspects Compares primary sources based on important aspects Has deep knowledge Recognises most important aspect of primary source - written Make evaluation Avoids listing irrelevant information Recognises most important aspect of secondary source - written Describe details List most important information Finds authoritative source Discusses qual of primary source - visual Lists information List information Finds information page source Discusses qual of secondary source - visual Knows content Taking notes Finding sources Evaluating the quality of sources

HOW TO MAKE A LEARNING ADVENTURE

ingredients Rubric or progression https://reliablerubrics.com/2015/02/09/rules-for-writing- quality-criteria/

Link to developmental progression   Compares primary and secondary sources Compares secondary sources based on important aspects Compares primary sources based on important aspects Has deep knowledge Recognises most important aspect of primary source - written Make evaluation Avoids listing irrelevant information Recognises most important aspect of secondary source - written Describe details List most important information Finds authoritative source Discusses qual of primary source - visual Lists information List information Finds information page source Discusses qual of secondary source - visual Knows content Taking notes Finding sources Evaluating the quality of sources

ingredients Rubric or progression https://reliablerubrics.com/2015/02/09/rules-for-writing- quality-criteria/ Activities linked to each level of this rubric or progression Teach the skill Example Student exercise

WAYS OF SHOWING WHAT YOU KNOW

Skill / topic / xp / link to online test

skill / topic / xp / activity / link to material on where to take notes

Skill / topic / xp / activity

Skill / xp / activity / link to material

Skill / xp / activity

ingredients Rubric or progression https://reliablerubrics.com/2015/02/09/rules-for-writing- quality-criteria/ Activities linked to each level of this rubric or progression Teach the skill Example Student exercise Write it up as a narrative

benefits

TRADITIONAL LEARNING

USING A LEARNING ADVENTURE

BENEFITS independence problem-solving creative thinking finding information (online or in books) student-centred engagement and motivation through competition

BENEFITS differentiation / targeted teaching interpretation of questions confidence with own work students remember narratives Game elements promoted engagement, motivation and allowed for easier negative feedback Students are used to negative feedback from gaming

challenges

CHALLENGES Takes time to create them “gaming the system” Solution: once created, you can reuse them again and again solution: make them with other teachers “gaming the system” i.e. completing the tests incorrect, finding out what went wrong and then just redoing them Solution: only open the tests once per week Classroom management Students have to be independent enough to work for long periods without direction instruction Solution: engaging process (worked at our school anyway ;)

STUDENT FEEDBACK

STUDENT FEEDBACK we got to go at our own pace and we didn’t have to just sit there and listen like in other classes. it had the same concept as a game which made me want to do it all all assessments should be similar to this. I liked how I was able to work at my own pace, and how it was set in a storyline. you didn’t get controlled by the teachers it wasn’t the same thing the whole time and it allowed a fun time, instead of something boring we were independent and got to do the activities in what ever order we wanted to. the XP made it educationally competitive!

support

SUPPORT This presentation and all the material for the Conquista learning adventure: https://lawlesslearning.com/pd/learningadventures 2/ Zip files with all the other learning adventures: https://lawlesslearning.com/products/learningadve ntures/ My website: lawlesslearning.com Me: benlawless8@gmail.com