Gamifying with Prodigy Math.

Prodigy Math is an online math game that I just stumbled upon last year, and is a great tool for the rookie or veteran teacher trying to gamify their classroom, or just for the teacher looking for another way to assess students, while gaining their interest rather quickly. Prodigy reminds me of a mix between Pokemon and Final Fantasy, and is a role play game (RPG) where students create an avatar, and explore a virtual world fighting monsters by answering math problems along the way.

Gamification has a number of benefits when implemented properly in the education world. What gamification is, "is the act of using game elements to make non-games more enjoyable." Most students love rewards, and competition, which his why they enjoy the element of gamification. Students playing games tend to be more motivated, and invested in their learning (or the game itself which provides practice).

Prodigy Math Specifically provides many tools for both the teacher and student. As the teacher you can have all of your students in one "Prodigy Class" or separate them based on their needs. This is great for differentiating classes, or if you are a teacher that teachers more than one grade level. It also provides the teacher with a calendar where they can assign topics to groups of students for certain time intervals, or even give formative assessments. Prodigy Math gives teachers instant feedback for each individual student on every assignment. It even tells you how long it took them to answer each question for those happy clickers you might have in your classroom. I know we all have them.

One benefit of gamification in the classroom, and Prodigy specifically is student buy-in. Students really enjoy the game-play of Prodigy as well as the unlockables they can get for their avatar. As students answer more an more questions, they level up, making their character stronger and stronger.

I use this in a variety of ways in my classroom. It works great for students who need extra practice, for students who are done the assigned work, and for students who want something to do at home. Last year when I started this have student complete over 200 problems in the first week! You know it is a great tool when students are going home and using the resource, or coming into school telling you that Prodigy has an App. Overall Prodigy Math is an excellent tool, and an already created platform for gamification in your classroom. When student are learning and having fun at the same time, you know they are retaining the information at hand. Here is a short video with a teacher talking about her Prodigy experience.

The best part of Prodigy is that it is absolutely free....that is unless your students want better weapons, and armor for their avatar.

If you use Prodigy is a different way, or have any questions about the game feel free to ask!