PlatinuMath by Triad Interactive Media, Inc. Solution, is as a professional development tool for middle
school Math teachers and a supplemental classroom activity for middle school Math
students.
Designed to improve mathematical understanding
among preservice and inservice teachers, the PlatinuMath suite is
packaged in the form of a narrative action-adventure Serious Game consisting of
20 mini-games.
The games cover 24 standards-relevant topics
and will supplement any preservice or inservice curriculum or training course.
Additional components of the games include content that adjusts to the level of
a user, an administrative dashboard and reporting feature that presents results
to users and their instructors or facilitators, and a backend database to store
all records.
Case for Action
Source: White Paper PDF
Assessment of Preservice Teachers Needed
According to the developers, national
organizations and centers including the U.S. National Committee on Mathematics Instruction,
the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), the National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the U.S. Department of Education, and prominent
researchers in the area of education reform are calling for scalable and
effective assessment of preservice teacher competencies.
Currently
the only large-scale assessment for
prospective elementary teachers in most states is the Praxis II, but the
results are not public.
The NCQT specifically noted that the Praxis
test, the most widely required exit/licensure test failed to measure the
proficiencies required for good teaching of math in the classroom. The council developed
a sample test as a starting point for a new generation of tests to measure the
preparation of teachers entering the classroom (NCTQ, 2008).
Triad Interactive Media, Inc. Solution
PlatinuMath, the formative assessment tool in the form of
an online Serious Game, measures the preservice
teacher’s mathematical understanding for teaching, provides learning while
playing, is conducive to repeated practice over time, can differentiate
instruction to accommodate different levels of understanding, and therefore can
improve the competency of prospective teachers. As preservice teachers become
more competent with the mathematical knowledge for teaching their attitudes and
beliefs about teaching math will also improve. As a result of improved content
competence and changed attitudes, teachers will do a better job with
instruction, students will learn more, and student performance on standardized
assessments will improve.
PlatinuMath is
extremely innovative in utilizing across 20 mini-games topics that work as immediate
pathways into algebraic reasoning and other more advanced math in a highly
engaging and fun context. The game is most successful in seamlessly
incorporating the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge components
into a unified experience of assessment and skill building.
Among its amazing game elements and mechanics
is the intrinsic capability of accommodating different levels of understanding while
addressing procedural and conceptual content knowledge, and simulated student
logic.
PlatinuMath was selected as a finalist in the 2013 Serious Game
Showcase and Challenge in the Business
Category, one of the seven award categories of the SGS&C, at the 2013
Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC)
held in Orlando, FL, December 2013.