Building Formative Assessment into Game-Based Learning

Summary

In this educational video, students engage in the game 'Galactic Mappers' to enhance their geographical knowledge. Teams collaborate to create complex maps, incorporating physical geography and cartography skills. The game challenges students to apply their knowledge to an imaginative task, fostering critical thinking and teamwork. Teachers use embedded assessments to evaluate students' progress and understanding during the game.

Takeaways

• 📝 Playing games like Galactic Mappers in school can significantly enhance learning compared to traditional methods.
• 📝🏾 Students engage in a collaborative art project to create a detailed map of a world, working in teams to build sections of the map.
• 📝 The complexity of the continent students can create is directly related to their performance, encouraging continuous learning and improvement.
• 📝🏿 The game becomes more challenging as students earn more points, motivating them to seek additional information to develop their continent fully.
• 📝 Teachers use embedded assessments to evaluate students' knowledge during the learning process, rather than through traditional end-of-unit tests.
• 📝🏿 Students are encouraged to be positive and work well within their groups, which is factored into their grades.
• 📝 The rubric for grading includes map skills, content knowledge, application of knowledge, systems thinking, and design thinking.
• 📝🏿 The teacher listens to students' discussions to assess their depth of knowledge and understanding of map techniques and geography.
• 📝 Students are required to apply their knowledge of maps and physical geography to design a map from scratch, fostering creativity and critical thinking.
• 📝🏿 Galactic Mappers promotes collaborative thinking and encourages students to imagine the possibilities of a spot on Earth, making learning more engaging and imaginative.

Q & A

What does the student find beneficial about playing games in school?

The student finds playing games in school helps them learn better than they have in any other subject or school.

What color are the students looking for in the script?

The students are looking for more green.

What is the significance of the key mentioned by the student?

The key is likely a part of the game they are playing, but its specific significance is not detailed in the script.

What does the teacher mean by 'good continent'?

The teacher is referring to a geographical feature on the map that students are creating as part of the game.

What is an 'isthmus' in the context of the game?

An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger areas, and in the game, it's something students can earn to add complexity to their continent.

How does the complexity of the game increase as students perform better?

As students perform better, they earn more points, which allows them to create more complex continents with additional geographical features.

What is the purpose of the embedded assessment mentioned by the teacher?

The embedded assessment is used to evaluate students' knowledge while they are engaged in the learning process, rather than at the end of a unit.

What qualities will the students' groups be graded on according to the rubric?

The students' groups will be graded on map skills, demonstrating clear knowledge of the category, and physical geography while playing the game.

How does being positive in the group affect the students' grades?

Being positive in the group can earn them up to ten points.

What is the teacher's method for assessing the students' knowledge during the game?

The teacher assesses the students by listening to their discussions and observing their application of content knowledge, systems thinking, and design thinking.

What is the significance of the 'Sunny Bacon' continent mentioned by a student?

Sunny Bacon is a fictional continent created by the students, named humorously after breakfast and featuring aliens that eat a lot.

How does Galactic Mappers challenge students to apply their knowledge of maps?

Galactic Mappers challenges students to design a map from the ground up, incorporating physical geography and cartography skills.

What does the discussion phase of Galactic Mappers encourage students to think about?

The discussion phase encourages students to think collaboratively about the components of a planet and the possibilities of inhabiting it.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Learning Through Gaming: Galactic Mappers

In this educational scenario, students engage in a game called Galactic Mappers, which enhances their learning experience. The game involves creating a map as a team, with the complexity increasing as they earn more points. The teacher guides the students, emphasizing the importance of map skills and physical geography. The game is not just for fun but also serves as an embedded assessment tool, evaluating students' knowledge and skills in real-time. The students' interactions and problem-solving during the game offer insights into their understanding of geography and teamwork.

Keywords

💡Galactic Mappers

Galactic Mappers is a game mentioned in the script where students work in teams to create a map of a fictional world. It is a collaborative and educational activity that helps students learn geography and map-making skills. In the video, it is used to illustrate how playing games can enhance learning, as students must apply their knowledge of geography to design a continent, earning complexity as they progress.

💡Continent

A continent is a large, continuous, and distinct landmass. In the context of the video, students are tasked with creating their own continents within the game Galactic Mappers. The concept is important as it relates to the geographical knowledge required to participate effectively in the game, and it is a central element in the students' collaborative map-making.

💡Isthmus

An isthmus is a narrow strip of land with sea on both sides, connecting two larger landmasses. In the script, the teacher mentions that students can earn an isthmus, which they must then incorporate into their map designs. This term is crucial as it tests the students' understanding of geographical features and their ability to apply this knowledge in a creative task.

💡Embedded Assessment

Embedded Assessment refers to evaluating students' knowledge and skills while they are engaged in the learning process itself. The script describes how the teacher uses the game as a tool for embedded assessment, observing students' map-making and decision-making processes to gauge their understanding of geography and map skills.

💡Rubric

A rubric is a set of criteria used to evaluate work or assess performance. In the video, the teacher creates a rubric to assess students' performance in Galactic Mappers, focusing on map skills, content knowledge, systems thinking, and design thinking. The rubric is used to provide a structured way to evaluate how well students are learning through the game.

💡Physical Geography

Physical geography is the study of natural features of the Earth's surface, including landforms, climate, and bodies of water. The script mentions that students demonstrate knowledge of physical geography while playing Galactic Mappers, as they must consider these elements when creating their continents and maps.

💡Systems Thinking

Systems thinking is an approach to problem-solving that involves considering the components of a system and their interactions. In the context of the video, systems thinking is assessed as students must think about how different geographical features on their map interact and influence each other, such as how a peninsula or isthmus affects the overall design.

💡Design Thinking

Design thinking is a creative problem-solving process that focuses on empathy, experimentation, and iteration. The script refers to design thinking as part of the assessment criteria, indicating that students are encouraged to think creatively and iteratively about their map designs within the game.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration is the process of working together to achieve a common goal. The script emphasizes the collaborative nature of Galactic Mappers, where students work in teams to create their maps. This keyword is central to the video's theme, as it highlights how cooperative learning can enhance the educational experience.

💡Cartography

Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. In the video, cartography skills are essential for students as they design their continents in Galactic Mappers. The game requires them to apply cartographic principles to create accurate and sensible maps, testing their understanding of map elements and techniques.

💡Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on the majority of its border while being connected to a mainland. The script mentions a peninsula as a geographical feature that students might include in their maps. It is an example of the specific geographical knowledge that students must apply within the game.

Highlights

Playing games in school helps students learn better.

Students are engaged in a geography-based game called Galactic Mappers.

Students work in teams to build different sections of a world map.

The game becomes more complex as students earn more points.

Students need to seek additional information for a fully developed continent.

The teacher guides students with geographical directions.

Galactic Mappers resembles a class-wide art project with educational goals.

Students are graded on map skills and group dynamics.

The game encourages positive behavior within the group.

The teacher assesses students' knowledge and application during the game.

Students are encouraged to explain and correct each other's map techniques.

Galactic Mappers tests students' ability to design maps from scratch.

Students incorporate physical geography and cartography skills.

The game includes a discussion phase to encourage collaborative thinking.

Students imagine the possibilities of a spot on Earth during the discussion.

The game goes beyond map-making to designing a living, breathing planet.

Students are assessed on their depth of knowledge through listening.

The game is an embedded assessment form, assessing students during the learning process.

Transcripts

>>Student: Playing games in school is helping me learn better

than I ever had before in any other subject

in other schools I've been to in my entire life.

>>Student: Do we have any more green?

>>Student: Where's the key?

>>Student: Wait, so how about the top is right here?

I'll start like--

>>Student: Wait, are we supposed to do it on this side

or do we do it on the back?

>>Teacher: The only thing you're making

in this round is a good continent.

Possibly an isthmus, if you earn it, islands and peninsulas.

So it will be very blank except for your continent name.

>>To somebody who's never seen Galactic Mappers before,

basically it looks like a class-wide map making slash art project,

where students are working in teams to build different sections

of a gigantic map of the world.

The better the students do, the more complex their continent can get,

because they will keep earning.

And then the more they earn, the more challenging the game becomes.

And if they want to have a really fully developed continent,

that need to know within them is going to start to seek

out this additional information.

>>Teacher: North,

>>Students: South,

>>Teacher: East,

>>Students: West.

>>Teacher: You have a land mass?

>>We have one, and then we can make this into another one.

>>Well, that would make you have two continents,

Is there another way--

>>Yes we have another-- we have different people around. 33

>>Teacher: Okay, group number one

and group number five you guys have an isthmus.

You need to somehow share that isthmus between the two of you,

you guys can communicate amongst yourselves to make that isthmus work.

>>An embedded assessment is a form

of assessing students' knowledge while they're engaged

in the learning process.

So rather than giving them a test at the end of the unit,

we try to find ways of assessing them while the learning is

actually happening.

>>Student: Rubric: your group will be graded

on the following qualities, map skills.

>>Student: It demonstrates clear knowledge of the category

and physical geography while playing the game.

Being positive in the group, it's up ten points.

Yeah, be positive.

>>Student: Okay, so now what?

>>Teacher: So what I do in advance is I create a rubric

with certain things I'm going to look for.

Part of what I'm assessing them does include content knowledge.

It includes application of that content knowledge.

It also looks at systems thinking and design thinking.

And I assess them just by either listening to the types of things

that they're saying about the different pieces.

So if I can hear a student explain to another student why they want

to put certain things in a particular spot or correcting students

on certain map technique or something, you know,

those are good clues as to that student's depth of knowledge.

>>Student: Sunny Bacon is a continent where aliens

like Kay and Kodos eat a lot.

So that's why it's called Sunny Bacon, it's based on breakfast.

>>Student: Sunny Bacon has a lot of vegetation and hills

and a lot of mesas, yeah.

>>Teacher: Galactic Mappers forces students to use their knowledge

of maps to apply it to something that hasn't been created before.

So they're designing a map from the ground up, and the maps some

of these groups design, they get this done in twenty minutes, you know,

in a group of four or five.

So it allows them to really make sure

that they're properly designing a good map with sensible map components

and also incorporating physical geography

as well as cartography skills.

So Galactic Mappers tests that.

>>There is a peninsula on this continent.

Can you show me where the peninsula is?

Excellent job, and you have one other card.

I see you have an isthmus card.

Where is your isthmus leading to?

Where's the isthmus?

Very good, excellent.

>>In the discussion phase of Galactic Mappers, it really gets them to think

about maps in a collaborative space and sort

of imagine the possibilities of a spot on earth.

So it becomes more than just making a map, it's also designing a living,

breathing planet, and it gets them to start thinking about the components

of that planet in a different way, and the possibilities if we were

to put people on this planet.