Some responses to the recent discussion:
1.
Here are the PA standards:
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/stateboard_ed/cwp/
Then click on "Academic Standards"
2.
One math standard is:
2.4.5.E Interpret statements made with precise language of logic (e.g.,
"all", "or", "every", "none", "some", "or", "many").
Zendo is perfect for this standard! Your koans are described with these
statements - they are all green, or they are all green or blue, etc. And
this kind of logic is used directly in computer science and engineering,
not to mention philosophy.
3.
My colleagues and I often discuss how to capture the absorption that our
students devote to video games. We agree that the instant feedback is a
key feature, and the idea of exerting just the right amount of effort to
achieve a goal. (Too easy and it is boring, too hard and it is
frustrating). We have experimented with lessons and our own games that try
to exploit these ideas, with only a small amount of success. I totally
agree that the emotional involvement and the higher order thinking aspects
that games can have can let concepts be understood and retained more
thoroughly and longer. Time is always an issue.
4.
I have a few students who would enjoy games but would learn more
efficiently without devoting time to them. An example is coordinate
planes, which could be introduced using Battleship. Those few students who
understand so readily and easily just need to be shown the coordinate plan,
the axis labels and how the one we label x comes first in the pair - and
they've got it - it is understood. Playing Battleship would be using time
they could be using for another concept. But for most of my students such
an introduction would be a good beginning - very motivating and directly
related.
Sincerely,
Joyce Kreuter
4th and 5th Grade
State College, Pennsylvania