QUEST TO LEARN

Quest to Learn This report was made possible by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in connection with its grant-making initiative

QUEST TO LEARN

Quest to Learn This report was made possible by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in connection with its grant-making initiative

QUEST TO LEARN

Quest to Learn This report was made possible by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in connection with its grant-making initiative

QUEST TO LEARN

Quest to Learn This report was made possible by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in connection with its grant-making initiative

QUEST TO LEARN

Quest to Learn This report was made possible by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in connection with its grant-making initiative

QUEST TO LEARN

Quest to Learn This report was made possible by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in connection with its grant-making initiative Content Preferences Receive Newsletter AND Conference Updates Only Receive Newsletter Only Receive Conference Updates Stay informed on the latest news and opportunities in connected learning, youth culture, and digital tech. Content Preferences Receive Newsletter AND Conference Updates Only Receive Newsletter Only Receive Conference Updates

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INSTITUTE OF PLAY

Transforming education through play.

* About

* Quest to Learn

* Learning Principles (Videos)

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* Learning Games

ABOUT

Institute of Play was a non-profit design studio founded in 2007 by a group of game designers in New York City. An interdisciplinary team of designers, strategists and learning practitioners, IoP created learning experiences rooted in the principles of game design. The Institute’s research and design work has been widely featured as an innovative and accessible approach to transforming education through

play.

The Institute of Play closed in 2019 but you can access their catalog of free resources here.

QUEST TO LEARN

Pioneering a new model for schools that fully engages and empowers students to survive and thrive in the twenty-first century Designed from the ground up by a team of educators, researchers, and game designers, and firmly grounded in over thirty years of learning research, Quest to Learn re-imagines school as one node in an ecology of learning that extends beyond the four walls of an institution and engages kids in ways that are exciting, empowering and culturally

relevant.

Quest to Learn’s unique standards-based integrated curriculum mimics the action and design principles of games by generating a compelling “need to know” in the classroom. To learn more about the approach to curriculum at Quest to Learn, check out the featured resources below, which are free for download. BRING THE QUEST MODEL TO YOUR CLASSROOM Tools and methods to remix the Quest to Learn model of game-like learning in your own school. CURRICULUM DESIGN PACK A curriculum planning resource based on the Quest Schools model of game-like connected learning.

Download

SCHOOL DESIGN PACK

A school design resource based on the Quest Schools model of game-like

learning

Download

SYSTEMS THINKING DESIGN PACK A systems thinking integration resource based on tools used by teachers and students at Quest Schools.

Download

CURRICULUM

These Game-like Units of study illustrate Quest to Learn’s approach across a range of grades and subjects.

DR SMALLZ

(Science, Grades 6-7) Students play the roles of designers, scientists, doctors, and detectives as they explore cellular biology

and the human body.

Download

SHARK TANK

(Math, Grade 9) Student entrepreneurs develop convincing business plans, and pitch them to potential investors.

Download

I SPY GREECE

(Social Studies, Grade 6) Students apply knowledge and skills in geography, culture, government and warfare as council members for Emperor Darius of Persia.

Download

SELF ON THE STAND

(ELA, Grade 9) Students step into roles of authors, actors, and artists as they explore questions of identity through various forms of

media.

Download

GAME-LIKE LEARNING PRINCIPLES Our work is guided by a set of 7 Game-Like Learning Principles that bring together the principles of game design and learning design to make learning irresistible. Below are a series of videos that bring the principles to life, offering a view into the way they are implemented at the NYC public school Quest to Learn. Each video shows how the core design principles of the model become classroom practice, highlighting just some of the ways game-like learning can be effectively used by students and

teachers.

* Visit Institute of Play’s YouTube channel

for more

videos.

EVERYONE IS A PARTICIPANT A shared culture and practice exists where everyone contributes, allowing students to contribute different types of expertise. FAILURE IS REFRAMED AS ITERATION Opportunities exist for students and teachers to learn through failure. All learning experiences should embrace a process of testing

and iteration.

LEARNING FEELS LIKE PLAY Learning experiences are engaging, learner-centered, and organized to support inquiry and creativity. LEARNING HAPPENS BY DOING Learning is active and experiential. Students learn by proposing, testing, playing with, and validating theories about the world. FEEDBACK IS IMMEDIATE AND ONGOING Learners receive ongoing feedback on their progress against learning and assessment goals. CHALLENGE IS CONSTANT A “need to know” challenges learners to solve a problem whose resources have been placed just out of reach. EVERYTHING IS INTERCONNECTED Students can share their work, skill, and knowledge with others across networks, groups, and communities.

RESEARCH

Institute of Play has collaborated on the research and curation of games and learning reading lists and tools for designers and educators. Check out featured research below. In addition to the resources found on this page, the Strong Museum of Play has acquired IoP’s collection of digital and physical artifacts, which they will make available to

researchers soon.

ASSESSING QUEST TO LEARN Researchers Valerie J. Shute and Robert J. Torres engaged in a two year study of the Quest to Learn school. This link will bring you to book chapter that presents some of their findings.

View Online

CONNECTING YOUTH: DIGITAL LEARNING RESEARCH PROJECT Independent researchers at New York University worked with Institute of Play to measure the impact of the Quest learning model.

Learn More

LEARNING GAMES

Institute of Play game designers and curriculum specialists partnered with teachers to design, produce, playtest and refine games and other learning materials that engage students in exciting new ways. Here are some of the most popular resources, free for viewing and download. PLAY AN INSTITUTE OF PLAY DESIGNED GAME These teacher-tested, student-approved games were designed collaboratively with educators around difficult-to-learn skills and

concepts.

ABSOLUTE BLAST

A multiplayer math board game for grades 6-8 to practice their calculation skills and hone their understanding of operations with integers and absolute value.​

Download

SOCRATIC SMACKDOWN

A versatile discussion-based humanities game to practice argumentation around any text or topic for grades 6 through 12.​

Download

LEARN HOW TO DESIGN YOUR OWN LEARNING GAME! This game design resource provides tools and templates for designing a

learning game.

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