As a veteran science teacher at the middle-school and high-school levels, I can see how Quandary could be very useful for practicing some general critical-thinking skills, which are in the Massachusetts science curriculum standards (and probably in other states' standards too):
- distinguishing between facts (observed data) and opinions
- correlating facts with hypotheses (proposed solutions in the game)
- evaluating the quantity and quality of evidence (facts) to decide which hypothesis (solution) to test
Students can also learn about the processes of research in biology: for instance, that biologists seek (and sometimes find) medicinal chemicals produced by other living things, which can be used in treating human illnesses.
Furthermore, when Quandary is played in pairs/teams, it encourages scientific discourse that is also in the state curriculum standards, such as communicating and defending scientific arguments.
Great! Thanks for the feedback Danny. If you implement the pair/team model further we'd love to hear more. How did you structure that activity? Did you give each team member a focus or responsibility re: making the choices or require that the team had to come up with a unanimous decision? Have you considered using the team concept to role-play the different opinions, facts, or solutions? Thanks again for your input, we hope you'll share more.
I really like this game, the support materials, and the fact that the game is accessible for students who may have reading disabilities. For classroom use, I wish there was a way for teachers to directly register students. I would also like to see the ability to save a game in progress. That way we could allow ample time for discussions before proceeding. Thanks for a great, serious game!
I am currently teaching high school chemistry in a CA public charter school. All of our students have been issued a chrome book, so I am trying to find more technology related education tools they can use. Currently I made playing this game an extra-credit option for the students, and hopefully I can find some way to integrate this to our curriculum (if not in chemistry maybe some other classes as well).
As a veteran science teacher at the middle-school and high-school levels, I can see how Quandary could be very useful for practicing some general critical-thinking skills, which are in the Massachusetts science curriculum standards (and probably in other states' standards too):
- distinguishing between facts (observed data) and opinions
- correlating facts with hypotheses (proposed solutions in the game)
- evaluating the quantity and quality of evidence (facts) to decide which hypothesis (solution) to test
Students can also learn about the processes of research in biology: for instance, that biologists seek (and sometimes find) medicinal chemicals produced by other living things, which can be used in treating human illnesses.
Furthermore, when Quandary is played in pairs/teams, it encourages scientific discourse that is also in the state curriculum standards, such as communicating and defending scientific arguments.
Great! Thanks for the feedback Danny. If you implement the pair/team model further we'd love to hear more. How did you structure that activity? Did you give each team member a focus or responsibility re: making the choices or require that the team had to come up with a unanimous decision? Have you considered using the team concept to role-play the different opinions, facts, or solutions? Thanks again for your input, we hope you'll share more.
I really like this game, the support materials, and the fact that the game is accessible for students who may have reading disabilities. For classroom use, I wish there was a way for teachers to directly register students. I would also like to see the ability to save a game in progress. That way we could allow ample time for discussions before proceeding. Thanks for a great, serious game!
Hi knann. Glad you enjoyed the game! We're implementing teacher registration for students and should have the feature available in the fall.
How do I change my class name or delete it? And can I add more than one class?
I am currently teaching high school chemistry in a CA public charter school. All of our students have been issued a chrome book, so I am trying to find more technology related education tools they can use. Currently I made playing this game an extra-credit option for the students, and hopefully I can find some way to integrate this to our curriculum (if not in chemistry maybe some other classes as well).
-Mr. Fan