UnboxEd UndEr the microscope
Our Process
We begin each course with a discussion of students’ goals, interests, expectations and responsibilities. Basically, we ask what and how they want to learn. Democratization fosters intrinsic motivation and a sense of agency over their learning.
Weekly lessons then cover the fundamentals of each subject. Board games are used to reinforce concepts and exercise the left brain, but the feature of each course is a role-playing campaign that weaves content, imagination and fun into concrete knowledge. Instructors design a world full of dynamic civilizations, characters, mysteries, adventures and course-specific challenges, while students work together to explore, interact, experiment, solve problems and grow their characters.
Heroic avatars and fantasy worlds provide a safe, abstracted playground for kids to take risks with self-expression and confront social and emotional conflict. Our games always feature Additive Scoring. Students begin at zero and continually gain skills, points, and confidence upon achieving goals. They focus on their individual strengths and become identified by their unique contribution to the team. Additive Scoring eliminates the fear of failure and the stress of punitive grades. This model breeds lifelong learners.
Weekly lessons then cover the fundamentals of each subject. Board games are used to reinforce concepts and exercise the left brain, but the feature of each course is a role-playing campaign that weaves content, imagination and fun into concrete knowledge. Instructors design a world full of dynamic civilizations, characters, mysteries, adventures and course-specific challenges, while students work together to explore, interact, experiment, solve problems and grow their characters.
Heroic avatars and fantasy worlds provide a safe, abstracted playground for kids to take risks with self-expression and confront social and emotional conflict. Our games always feature Additive Scoring. Students begin at zero and continually gain skills, points, and confidence upon achieving goals. They focus on their individual strengths and become identified by their unique contribution to the team. Additive Scoring eliminates the fear of failure and the stress of punitive grades. This model breeds lifelong learners.
Student Progress
Previous groups have shown measurable improvements in reading comprehension, cause and effect, inferencing, iterative problem solving, group collaboration, and a host of applied math skills. They've also gone on their first job interviews, forged solid friendships, and saved the world from drought, greed, and vengeful princes.
We survey -- never quiz -- students at the beginning, middle, and end of each semester to demonstrate their grasp of each unit as well as their engagement. We use in-game metrics to monitor weekly progress as well as optional take-home projects. Each lesson ends with an 'exit ticket' discussion of how new material was applied within the game.
But mostly, we remember that they're kids. If we're all laughing and sharing an afternoon of fun, socialization and imagination with zero screens in sight, that's when us adults tend to learn something.
We survey -- never quiz -- students at the beginning, middle, and end of each semester to demonstrate their grasp of each unit as well as their engagement. We use in-game metrics to monitor weekly progress as well as optional take-home projects. Each lesson ends with an 'exit ticket' discussion of how new material was applied within the game.
But mostly, we remember that they're kids. If we're all laughing and sharing an afternoon of fun, socialization and imagination with zero screens in sight, that's when us adults tend to learn something.