Expertise(TM)

 

Expertise™ is a collaborative tabletop game that captures pedagogical thinking in the context of technology integration. It is based on two theoretical frameworks⁠ (i.e., Playful Assessment, a situated cognition approach to assessment model; TPACK-L, teacher knowledge of technology integration) and is intended to elicit players’ technological planning, implementation, and problem solving skills. The game more closely aligns with TPACK, specifically, than its counterparts CARD-tamen™ and Influence™, and it has been ecologically-validated (see: Schmuckler, 2001) as a playful longitudinal assessment measure for Educational Technology (Choi, 2017).

 


 

What's In the Box?

 

The game consists of:

  • One (1) Expertise™ Game Board
  • Three (3) TPACK-L game pieces
  • Twenty-four (24) Technology cards
  • Twenty (20) Pedagogy cards
  • Ten (10) Learning Theory cards

 


 

Ruleset

 

    1. Separate and shuffle the Pedagogy, Learning Theory, and Technology cards; organize the game board, cards, and game pieces on the table (i.e., one (1) game piece placed on the outer-most [Purple] ring of the game board for each TPACK-L component)
    2. The person who most recently touched their mobile device becomes the first Speaker; all other players are Team Members
    3. At the start of a round, the Speaker chooses and announces a specific content objective (e.g., ideally topics selected from state and national standards or other curricular guides; e.g., comparing geometric proofs, identifying bacteria types, analyzing Shakespeare’s Hamlet).
    4. The group collectively reveals one (1) Pedagogy card, one (1) Learning Theory card, and two (2) Technology cards, placing them face-up on the table
    5. After all game cards are revealed, the FULL GROUP (i.e., the Speaker and Team Members) spend up to three (3) minutes collaboratively developing a strategy for Pedagogy, Learning Theory, and Technology integration in the context of the Speaker‘s specified content objective and the revealed cards
    6. Next, the Speaker takes one (1) minute to provide a formal summary and proposal the group’s technology integration strategy (i.e., a one-minute elevator speech that explains the group’s shared goal and intended approach to technology integration using the available TPACK-L components)
    7. After the Speaker has concluded, Team Members each adopt the perspective of an expert in either Pedagogy, Learning Theory, or Technology; upon claiming or being assigned an expert role, all Team Members roll a twenty-sided die to determine their “Expert Disposition”:
      • Dice Roll 1-5 = Easy-Going (e.g., very low expectations, fairly uncritical, tends to focus on strengths over weaknesses)
      • Dice Roll 6-15 = Neutral (e.g., approaches the proposal objectively and dispassionately, focuses on both strengths and weaknesses)
      • Dice Roll 16-20 = Hard Ass (e.g., very high expectations, highly-critical, provides significant feedback, tends to focus on weaknesses over strengths)
    8. Team Members, speaking from their expert roles/dispositions, take turns evaluating the effectiveness of the Speaker‘s summary/proposal by determining which TPACK-L components (if any) were successfully integrated and described (i.e., an up-or-down vote as to whether each TPACK-L component was well-described and incorporated into the proposal; each vote should be accompanied by a rationale)
    9. For each TPACK-L component the Speaker fulfilled, move the respective game piece one (1) step closer to the center of the game board (Gold); for each component the Speaker left unfulfilled, move the respective game piece one (1) step closer to the edge of the game board (Purple)
    10. Once adjudication is complete, the Speaker selects a “Best Co-Teacher” from among Team Members
    11. The FULL GROUP is assigned a score based on their collective performance (i.e., total number of the three TPACK-L components successfully addressed in the proposal):
      • Center (Gold) = +20 Points
      • Ring 3 (Green) = +15 Points
      • Ring 2 (Blue) = +10 Point
      • Ring 1 (Purple) = +5 Points
    12. As the FULL GROUP reaches new rings on the way to the center of the game board, Special Powers are unlocked; these can be used by ANY player during ANY round (after being earned), but they can only be used ONE (1) TIME PER GAME:
      • Special Power 1 (Unlocked at 45 Points): Success requires only one (1) Technology card this round (not both)
      • Special Power 2 (Unlocked at 55 Points): Prevent one (1) game piece move backward
      • Special Power 3 (Unlocked at 60 Points): Move one (1) game piece directly to the center if both other game pieces have moved inward this round
    13. Once all judgments are complete and game pieces have been moved, reset the board for the next round
    14. Replace spent Pedagogy, Learning Theory, and Technology cards from the top of their respective decks
    15. Rotate roles so the player to the left of the most recent Speaker (clockwise) becomes the next round’s Speaker
    16. Continue play in this fashion until every player has participated as the Speaker two (2) times (i.e., two full rounds)
    17. To win Expertise™, the FULL GROUP must achieve a point total of 45+ points by the time two (2) full rounds have passed; higher scores will result in an improved final ranking and corresponding title