7/30/2019 Wildcat Challenge
1/8
Renee A. Peterson
LTLE 645
Final Project
The Research
Why do we do what we do? We want to be happy. Therefore, we are motivated by
our perception of happiness. In her book, Reality is Broken (2011), Jane McGonigal
discusses a 2009 happiness study at the University of Rochester. The researchers
found two interesting things about happiness: 1. The attainment of things does
NOT make one happy, 2. Building personal strengths and social relationships does
make one happy. Writer and self-described happiness-explorer Elizabeth Gilbert
puts it best, Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You have toparticipate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings(McGonigal
2011). In her text, McGonigal goes on to explain that helping others makes us even
happier and more satisfied with our lives. As adults, this seems to make sense to us.
So, how do we convince teenagers of this? We dont. We need to create anatmosphere in which this phenomenon will happen naturally.
Why dont teenagers want to go to school? They dont think school makes them
happy. They are motivated to pursue their perception of happiness, and they
believe that is not at school. They believe that happiness comes from the freedom of
no rules, regulations, boundaries, or work. However, these same teenagers
voluntarily take on virtual challenges every day in on-line games. All of those games
contain rules, regulations, boundaries, and lots of work to achieve goals but they
LOVE them! How can we harness that desire to work hard and accomplish goals?
How can we put the motivation of games into school?
J. K. Rowling wrote a book well a series of books you may have heard of them.They tell the story of a young wizard named Harry Potter and his adventures at his
school called Hogwarts. As the students enter the school, the sorting hat divides
them into four houses. Each house contains students from all seven years of school
so that the older house members can mentor the young ones. During the year the
students earn points for their house by doing well. They can also have points
deducted for unsavory behavior or breaking the rules. There are no physical
rewards, just the satisfaction of being the winning house at the end of the year. This
is a fictional school, but there are some actual schools that have attempted to
pattern their programs after the Hogwarts model.
Jane Goodwin, former public school teacher, blogs about the comparison of
Rowlings Hogwarts to todays public schools Every Hogwarts student was able
to- sometimes eventually- find success at something. Nobody was left behind, butmany were soaring while others were still crawling. The soarers were not required,
or even expected, to remain on the ground just because someone else couldnt leaveit. Yet. The schools professors were always willing to tutor, give extra time to,encourage, cheer, reach out of the box, and pass along compliments. Peer pressure
7/30/2019 Wildcat Challenge
2/8
was rather encouraged, although not the bad kind. The suggestion that a student
who did poorly gave the entire House a bad name was enough to make the slackers
buck up. And the attitude of the other students toward a student who lost the House
some points was enough to make the wrong-doer think twice about doing it again.
Students were often ashamed of themselves for failing, wrongdoing, or otherwise
letting themselves or others down. In our culture, personal shame is stifled, becausepeople cant help it, or were driven to it, or made a mistake. Perhaps this lack ofshame is why our public school students continue to do things a Hogwarts student
would have far too much respect for himself and for others to do. At Hogwarts, self-esteem was only for those who earned it. This is also as it should be. I guess myquestion is, if Harry and his friends could do it, why cant our kids?
Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven, CT divided their school into Hogwarts-like
houses for the first time in 2010. Their purpose was not necessarily happiness and
motivation but guidance. Each house of 330 kids will have approximately 30 staffmembers. They will be led by an administrator, a dean in charge of curriculum and
discipline, two guidance counselors, and a lead teacher. Dean and lead teacher willbe in the classroom three periods a day, and know the kids. The single feature that
caught parents attention most at last Thursdays meeting was the advisory. Inaddition to instructing, each teacher in a house will take on ten to 15 students,
whom he or she doesnt teach, but advises. Elite private schools run on a similar
system. The hope is it will allow kids to become known and supported by adults
other than guidance counselors. The latter are universally acknowledged to be
overwhelmed at Cross (Appel 2010). A perusal of the currentWilbur Cross web
site demonstrates that the houses are still in place.
The Plan
Williamsport High School has a problem many students do not come to school on aregular basis, many students come to school but do not want to be there, and many
students do just what is absolutely necessary while there and cant wait to get out.Im sure this probably sounds like a typical American high school so, what can wedo about it? During the School Improvement Team meetings held in June 2012, the
members tossed around ideas simply to improve attendance. We discussed possible
incentives for attendance and possible school activities to increase school spirit as
well as faculty morale. What if school were more like a game? Adults and teenagers
alike voluntarily spend hours playing games they take on virtual challenges simplyfor the enjoyment of solving problems. They become so focused on game play that
they achieve the flow we would love to see our students and teachers achieve during
the learning process.
In The Gamification of Learning and Instruction (2012), Karl M. Kapp discusses why
we do what we doMotivation. How can we find what motivates our students? If
we find it, how can we use it to get them to come to school and be engaged in their
7/30/2019 Wildcat Challenge
3/8
school experiences? It is assumed that students have an intrinsic motivation for
attending school learning for learnings sake education is its own reward sure,in a perfect world. Some students respond well to extrinsic motivation coming to
school to get that perfect attendance certificate or to avoid losing a credit for too
many absences. What is the motivation for playing games? If we want to apply
game theory to school we can follow one of many instructional models including theARCS model. To create a game-based learning environment at WHS we need to get
the students Attention (A), demonstrate Relevance (R) in the activities, increase the
students Confidence (C), and then give the students the opportunity to experienceSatisfaction (S) at school.
So, lets get their Attention. The Wildcat Challenge is something new. It will pique
the interest of even the most apathetic of teenager maybe even enough for a raisedeyebrow rather than a disgusted eye roll. When the students step through the
doors of WHS on August 22, 2012, they need to see something different. Colorful
banners and posters advertising the new Wildcat Challenge need to greet them.
Music playing through the speakers and thought-provoking and/or humorousquotes scroll on the large screen displays throughout the school. The more
attractive the visuals on a game, the more the gamers like it.
After we have their attention, the game needs to be Relevant. How can this game
benefit them? By engaging in the Wildcat Challenge their attendance, academic
achievement, behavior, and school experience as a whole will improve. If they are
required to spend 180 days a year here, they may-as-well enjoy it! With a system of
rewards in place, the students can also earn extrinsic prizes to accompany the
intrinsic reward of an education. Kapp continues his discussion on motivation and
rewards by referring to studies that found that extrinsic rewards could affect
intrinsic motivation- often negatively, but sometimes positively if designed well. Ifthe extrinsic motivators provide feedback on performance that is intrinsic, the
student would have a measure of his own competence thus providing relevance.
Students (and gamers) will work harder if they feel confident that they can achieve
that next level. Success breeds confidence and failure encourages perseverance.
Throughout games, gamers see measurement achievements through leader boards,
level ladders, task feedback. Those same motivators can be used throughout the
Wildcat Challenge. Jane McGonigal, in her bookReality is Broken, discusses how
gamers feel pride not only by achieving points or levels in their own games but also
through helping someone else. This is where the team concept comes into play.
McGonigal states, The happiness we get from cheering on friends and family
ensures our personal investment in other peoples growth and achievements. Itencourages us to contribute to someone elses success, and as a result we form
networks of support from which everyone involved benefits. As a team gains
points from increased attendance, grades, good behavior, or active participation, the
members all benefit from individual achievement. They are a part of something
bigger than themselves and can encourage each other toward positive results.
7/30/2019 Wildcat Challenge
4/8
Coming to school can be a satisfying experience, and the Wildcat Challenge could
encourage more students (and parents) to be satisfied with their attendance, grades,
behavior, and participation.
The Teams
Williamsport High School will be divided into five teams each identified by a
different color green, red, purple, yellow, and orange. Names for these teams canbe chosen by the founding teams. Each team will include members of each class,
freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Each team will include ten teachers as
mentors, cheerleaders, and guides. The teams will be made up of ten homerooms
or, as they are called at WHS, Personal Education Plan (PEP) periods. For the 2012-
2013 school year there are 971 students enrolled at this point. The arrangement of
teams is as followed:
Team ChartGreen Red Purple Yellow Orange
Freshmen 9N - 17 9L - 17 9O - 17 9K - 18 9M - 17
9I - 18 9F - 18 9J - 18 9G - 18 9H - 18
9E - 18 9C - 18 9B - 18 9D - 18 9A - 18
Sophomores 10G - 19 10J - 19 10I - 19 10H - 19 10F - 19
10C - 19 10D - 19 10A - 19 10E - 19 10B - 19
10M - 18 10O - 18 10L - 19 10N - 18 10K - 19
Juniors 11D - 22 11A - 22 11E - 22 11C - 22 11H - 23
11J - 23 11I - 23 11B - 22 11F - 22 11G - 22
Seniors 12A - 20 12B - 20 12C - 20 12D - 20 12E - 20
12F - 20 12G - 20 12H - 20 12I - 20 12J - 20
Total 194 194 194 194 195
The Points
In its inaugural year, the point system needs to be relatively simple. The details of
the point system will need to be finalized by the faculty committee in charge of the
program; however, point activities can include but are not limited to the following
activities:
Track attendance percentages by team rather than class. The team with thehighest percentage each day earns points. Honor Roll and Distinguished Honor Roll Attending sporting events Game Play
o A green team member challenges a yellow team member to a threegame checkers match; the winner earns 5 points for the team.
7/30/2019 Wildcat Challenge
5/8
o One PEP challenges another PEP to a game of corn hole winner getspoints.
Participation in clubs or teams Attending other school events Spirit week participation Physical activity for those not participating in sports laps around the track walking or running point for each lap Wearing the team shirt on team color day Reading books in the library and making a poster promoting that book
If points can be earned, there need also be a way for points to be lost. Some possible
ways to lose points are as follows:
Detention Failing grades Referrals Misbehaving in class Inappropriate language
The Awards
This program will need money; therefore, it will need sponsors. The faculty
committee will solicit local businesses to support this program by either providing
funds for activities and awards or donating the awards themselves. However, not all
awards need to be costly.
Possible prizes: PEP mod spent in the gym with others that had perfect attendance for a
month with a DJ for some fun music.
PEP spent in the cafeteria with other distinguished honor roll recipients for aspecial afternoon event.
A beautiful afternoon outside spent for the team with the highest gpa in amarking period
Afternoon treat when the team reaches 100 points I Love Lucy episode in the auditorium for the team with the highest
percentage of members wearing the team color on a certain day
Movie passes Restaurant certificates School store gift cards Athletic event passes Dance tickets
The Leadership
7/30/2019 Wildcat Challenge
6/8
A game of this magnitude will take time time to set up, time to explain, time to
maintain. The leadership will consist of a committee of teachers and the students
already involved in the leadership of the Link Crew and the Student Government
Association of WHS. The Interact Group of students and community business
leaders will be charged with finding sponsors and possible prizes. Daily and weekly
tasks concerning tallying points and awarding prizes will need to be organized andassigned to leadership groups. For this system to work, it must be maintained
properly including new and interesting incentives throughout the year with a BIG
finish at the picnic at the end of the year. If it falls apart, it will never work again.
The leadership committee will need to choose a limited number of point activities
and awards with which to start the year adding a few as the year progresses to keep
the game interesting and the teams involved.
The Details
The details of the game will need to be worked out by the leadership team.
The Training
Once the faculty committee has ironed out the details, those teachers will train the
Link Crew leaders and SGA officers in their duties.
Professional Development
Opening: Find the tags Put random key tags for stores in a basket. Pull one and
give candy or lollypops to the first 3 people who can produce their own key tag of
that kind: CVS, Food Lion, Panera, Sheetz, etc. Play until everyone has candy of
some kind.
Discussion: Why do we all carry store cards?
Desired Direction: We want to save money by earning points or coupons by using
our cards. Having a rewards card encourages us to frequent that business. Getting
to the next point level and getting a coupon, certificate, or free cup of coffee makes
us feel accomplished even though we had to spend money to get there.
Brief presentation of the Wildcat Challenge using Power Point.
Faculty team activity:
Goal: to get the faculty leaders to know each other and become more comfortable
with each other before they are charged with leading a team of students for the year. Divide the faculty into their five Wildcat Challenge teams of 10. The teachers
who do not have PEP groups will make team #6. They then pick up their
assigned box of supplies and separate to assigned classrooms for the
following activity:
The box contains 10 nametags of five different colors, one sharpie, 5 randomitems
7/30/2019 Wildcat Challenge
7/8
Sit in a circle and distribute the nametags one for each person. Pass theSharpie: when you have the Sharpie in your hand, you introduce yourself to
the group first and last name what you teach and one activity you are
good at or enjoy. He/she then writes his/her first name on the nametag,
affixes it to his/her shirt and passes the Sharpie.
Next, divide into your partners determined by the colors of the nametags (2blue, 2 red, 2 green, etc). The pairs randomly choose an item from the box.They then have 3 minutes to discuss the best way to use that item in a lesson
in class. All partners then return to the group to share their brilliant ideas.
They will then choose their favorite item/use to present to the large group.
The teams return and each presents their favorite use of an item in a lessonto the large group by the pair that originated the idea.
Large group game: Pictionary five rounds the pre-determined nametagpartners are now drawing partners. There are three baskets of drawing
clues. Basket #1 contains items that are relatively easy to draw and worth
one point each. Basket #2 contains more difficult items to draw and are
worth 3 points each. Basket #3 contains more abstract items which are themost difficult to draw and are 5 points each. Each team has its own white
board and markers. The first pair from each team comes to the baskets and
picks out a card from basket 1, 2, or 3 depending on their chosen level of
challenge. The partners have 30 sec to secretly discuss their drawing
strategy then 1 minute to draw their item while the team guesses. The
administrators will be charged with the task of awarding the appropriate
points when the team guesses the word. After 5 rounds, the team with the
highest score will win! (possible prize: gift cards or small boxes of school
suppies)
Before leaving the session, the teams will make a plan to meet again at aconvenient time/place for them to discuss ideas to welcome the students ontheir team on the first day of school.
References
Appel, A. (2010, July 19). Like Hogwarts, Cross Now Has 4 Houses, Too. New Haven
Independent. Retrieved July 10, 2012, from
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/cross/
Goodwin, J. (2012, March 21). Making School More Like Hogwarts [Web log post].
Retrieved July 10, 2012, from
http://tristanverboven.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/making-school-more-
like-hogwarts/
Kapp, K. M. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based
methods and strategies for training and education. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/cross/http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/cross/http://tristanverboven.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/making-school-more-http://tristanverboven.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/making-school-more-http://tristanverboven.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/making-school-more-http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/cross/7/30/2019 Wildcat Challenge
8/8
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can
change the world. New York, NY: Penguin Group.