Gaming

Institute of Play Offers Free PD for Math Teachers in Grades 6-12

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 08/21/18

A non-profit design studio founded by a group of game makers in New York City is reaching out to educators who want to participate in a free professional development fellowship specifically for math teachers working in grades 6-12. MathQuest NYC, an initiative of the Institute of Play, has six days of PD, starting in mid-October. Participants will learn how to use game-design principles and tie games into their lessons. Teachers have until September 21 to get their applications in. Teams of two or three from the same school or district will receive preference in the selection process.

Educators will also receive access to the institute's TeacherQuest Online platform, which delivers online courses through the year, as well as on-going support and feedback opportunities and tools and resources. According to the organizers, "fellows" will learn to how to embed games into their curriculum, integrate them into the classroom, create their own games, set up learner-centered design challenges and assess learning outcomes.

Sessions will run from 9:30 to 3:30 over two concurrent days in October, November and January and will take place at the Adelphi University Manhattan Campus. While there's no registration fee, those accepted will need to handle their transportation and confirm support from the appropriate supervisor, such as a principal or superintendent, and get release time for the workshops.

The application asks four short response questions:

• What the applicant's teaching philosophy is;
• What the greatest challenges in teaching math are;
• How the use of game-like learning might improve teaching math; and
• How the school or district could benefit from the program.

The online application is available on the Institute's website.