Help To Revamp My Classroom Into An Arcade (Kinda)

[SpaceBooger]

I need the RacketBoy community’s help.

As many of you know that I am a middle school science teacher. Over the last 14 years I have successfully engaged my students with lessons that revolved around the physics of comic book and video games (example of Mario teaching scientific inquiry). When getting my Masters Degree I researched on how to get report card grades to match up with standardized test scores (more details in the spoiler tag).

I really hated the idea that a kid who didn’t do his work could score a high passing grade on the state test but fail for the year because he did not turn in his work. To make a long story short, I made my grades count (test scores are 55% of final grade and homework only 10% mathematically allowing students to pass even if not completing homework).

Revamping my grading system has worked mathematically, but not motivationally - Kids just don’t care about their grades as much as their Minecraft community or FaceBook games.
So, now I want to take education into the realm of FaceBook gaming (without FaceBook!).

I want to revamp the way in which I do grades, to align them more with an arcade style of scoring that keeps track of high scores instead of grades that are subtracted from 100. I feel making leaderboards that show high scores, and maybe having an app would help engage and motivate students.

Ok so here is what I want to do:
Give out coins and keep track of scores. As of now I plan on giving out paper tokens (unless I can get a ton of real ones cheap on ebay) and keep track of scores in a spreadsheet. I will update the spreadsheet once a week and post high scores via jpg (screensaver rotating through the 6 science classes and on the school website) and print. I think having them on something that looks like an arcade cab would be cool.

Here is how it would work:
1. Students who turn in certain assignments (homework/completion grade stuff) would get a coin/token.
2. Tests, quizzes, labs would be scored as normal (by %)
3. Students can use a token to add any grade to their arcade score.
4. Any grade over (90% would 10 point to their score, 80% = 9pts, etc) The type of assignment wouldn’t matter just the percent (remember simple assignments will gain coins and not be useable toward the high score). The using of tokens will add a little strategy and teach kids that you can make up (by not using a token) for poor scores with hard work.
I would keep track of high scores (top 10 or 20 per class period) on a computer monitor that would look like an arcade (cocktail cabinet) and at the end of each grading period, when the scores reset back to 0, give out awards for high scores and maybe an end of the year award for the highest score.

The standard grading system most teacher use is negative - meaning “everyone starts off with an A” and if you don’t get an A you messed up. More students focus on how many questions they got wrong and how that hurt their grade than how many questions they do understand. I hate when a kid gets a B+ and instead of focusing on how much he has learned, he keys on the fact that he lost points.

The arcade style of scoring would hopefully turn that idea around, turning the focus on how many points they got instead of how many they lost. This is not helpful in a mathematical way, instead it may keep kids motivated and spirits high... anything to help motivate them to learn.

Here is where I need help: Ideas!

In the end I would love an app where I could add coins and points to accounts and they could log in and share their scores via social media. This is probably a long way down the road. So, for right now what help me brainstorm on how I can do this and how to possibly make it as interactive as possible for students (an online community where these points are realant). I want to turn grades and scores into either a leaderboard or even a MMO style environment where grades, not cash, buy kids better upgrades.

Please share ideas and discuss this with me so I can refine, revamp, and make this idea happen by next school year.

[SpaceBooger]

An example of how I would introduce this concept tied directly into one of my first lessons to introduce the idea of scientific inquiry, investigation, and learning.

Next year I plan to introduce science by showing three video games:
Game 1: A simple game (still need to figure out which game - any ideas?) where you just press a button and watch a cinematic and win. This game will show that some stuff can just be learned/solved by putting in some work and following directions (i.e. Vocab Worksheet).

Game 2: Super Mario Brothers - this game would teach that there is a beginning and an end that everyone can reach, but it takes work and perseverance. This would reinforce practice and the ideas behind most of our science labs without specific directions. I would also talk about using a FAQ is nothing more than reverting back to the previous game shown.

Game 3: Pac-Man - this game would teach that sometimes there is no end and you just have to strive to do better than before to find a better solution - and that is what most science is. I tell the kids “just because scientist haven’t cured cancer doesn't mean they are not successful.”

[flojocabron]

im gonna add a snarky picture.

points dont matter

Yeah kids are smart, but no matter how fun you're trying to make it, if you make it a chore, its a complete turn off.

Kids these days are smart to the things that interest them, and your sincere attempt is respectable.

So you have a fine line to tread. Keep it fun enough to make it enjoyable and smart enough to make them learn something.

You dont want your students fleeing your project like Investment firms dumping Zynga stock.

I can already see your students thinking: "LOL, look at my teacher trying to be cool and making me think I'm liking his crap"

It must be hard being a teacher and you already know that.

[SpaceBooger]

im gonna add a snarky picture.

points dont matter

Yeah kids are smart, but no matter how fun you're trying to make it, if you make it a chore, its a complete turn off.

Kids these days are smart to the things that interest them, and your sincere attempt is respectable.

So you have a fine line to tread. Keep it fun enough to make it enjoyable and smart enough to make them learn something.

You dont want your students fleeing your project like Investment firms dumping Zynga stock.

I can already see your students thinking: "LOL, look at my teacher trying to be cool and making me think I'm liking his crap"

It must be hard being a teacher and you already know that.

I have no problem doing what I already do and am very successful at it, I just want to try something new. I am not trying to impress them, my personality is strong - I use comics to teach physics and video games to teach labs. Like I said, I'm not trying to fix something that is broken I just want to do something in addition. So I don't think the whole "trying to be cool" thing will be a major issue. I mean we made a "Cell Shake" (harlem shake parody) Video to review the Cell Theory.
In the end nothing will change about my class other than having the leaderboard - I will teach the same, use the same labs, tests, notes...etc. So if they do drop it and it flops, the class will move forward without it almost seamlessly.
Here is an idea of how my desk looks:

I will take what you said into consideration though.

[Raiiban]

Here is an idea of how my desk looks:

I will take what you said into consideration though.

I wish I had a teacher with a room like that when I was in school.

Next year I plan to introduce science by showing three video games:
Game 1: A simple game (still need to figure out which game - any ideas?) where you just press a button and watch a cinematic and win. This game will show that some stuff can just be learned/solved by putting in some work and following directions (i.e. Vocab Worksheet).

For watching a cinematic and doing simple inputs, maybe an old FMV game like Dragon's Lair would be a good match, they even have that out on PC DVD, iOS, and Android now, would be really simple to put on a device in the classroom.

[mjmjr25]

posting to bookmark.

[marurun]

I've read a bit on gamification, and that doesn't sound exactly like what you are doing, thank goodness. But let me make sure I understand what you are proposing... Simple assignments wouldn't earn them a grade, but rather a token. More complex assignments, labs, tests, quizzes, etc earn them grades. By spending a token, they can add one of their existing grades to a score list? What does the high score list do for them? I mean, yes, recognition is important, but middle school students might desire something more than simply a high score. Are there any other perks tied to the high score or, perhaps, top 5?

I have to say, though, I am a little concerned about the amount you weight tests. How do you accommodate students who can do well on homework and appear to be able to demonstrate the material but don't test well?

[SpaceBooger]

I have to say, though, I am a little concerned about the amount you weight tests. How do you accommodate students who can do well on homework and appear to be able to demonstrate the material but don't test well?

It was a typo in the first post - Tests are 45% which is still hefty.
Here is how my class works per chapter:
WDYT? Bellringer questions (5% of grade), Notes/Lecture/Demonstartion, Open Note Quiz (20% of grade), Discussion/demonstration, Hands on Lab (20% of Grade), Assignments (10% of grade), Online Open Note/Google/Anything Test, Paper and Pencil Test (tests are 45% of final grade).
The WDYT and Online test are paper pencil test questions so they are seen multiple times for those who do not test well. The ratio of MC to Essay questions per test is the same as the state test. Remember I wrote a 300+ page paper and defended fair and adequate grading, so those who are poor test takers are covered.

...let me make sure I understand what you are proposing... Simple assignments wouldn't earn them a grade, but rather a token. More complex assignments, labs, tests, quizzes, etc earn them grades. By spending a token, they can add one of their existing grades to a score list? What does the high score list do for them? I mean, yes, recognition is important, but middle school students might desire something more than simply a high score. Are there any other perks tied to the high score or, perhaps, top 5?

I have a punch card students use for passes. They get 3 exit (bathroom and locker) passes and 3 "other" (to ask for an extra day to finish an assignment, to add a name to a no name paper) passes. At the end of each grading period I give a raffle ticket for every pass left and have a drawing for candy. That simple reward works wonders. I was thinking about Arcade themed pencils, candy, tokens for next grading period or something else for the top 5 of each class.

[SpaceBooger]

Ok, so I am doing this.

The kids will get tickets (they say 25 cents on them - standard roll) for completing tasks like homework and other lower order thinking/practice things.
They will then take quizzes, tests, complete labs etc. Once they receive grades they can use a ticket to turn a specific grade into points for their "arcade" score. (the grade average and arcade score will be totally separate.)

The Arcade scoring is broken down as follows:

• An A is worth 10X points*
  A B is worth 9X points*
  A C is worth 8X points*
  A D is worth 7X points*
  A ticket without an attached assignment is worth 20 points.

*the last digit of the percentage will be replace the "X" in the above score. (this means that a 93% "A" is worth 103 points and an 88% "B" is worth 98 points.)

I am hoping that not including every graded item will add a little strategy to the game.
At the end of the grading period/quarter we will have a Pac-Man tournament on the iCade at lunch for the top 5 scorers in each class. (bracket style with the two high scorers getting a bye for the first round)

Again this will not directly influence the student's grades, but maybe it will motivate them to do all the work asked of them so they can participate in this.

It's worth a try. What do you guys think?

[marurun]

If nothing else, it sounds pretty fun. That and I love the graphic. I mean, I really love it.

I know I was a bit nit-picky trying to get through your grading scheme, but I do really like this idea. If it gets kids to respond better to the material and their assignments, more power to you and them.

And hey, throw in a physics-based game or two and you can discuss basic physics of motion in class!