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Thursday, February 19, 2015

Prodigy - free math game that helps students learn math while having fun


https://prodigygame.com/usa/teachers/?utm_source=EdTechGuy&utm_medium=TeacherBlog&utm_campaign=EdTechGuy



There is no doubt that math is a difficult subject both for students and for teachers. As a student, the idea of math can be daunting, as the subject often requires practice to refine skills and grasp concepts. However, as a teacher, coming up with ways to encourage math practice is difficult. Engagement has emerged as a buzzword, which is often thrown around as a solution to this problem. While engaging activities often make learning more exciting, they do not always translate into increased practice and improved skill development.

Game-based learning, however, has been proven to engage students in a way that encourages increased practice. This is especially true of digital games that take an adaptive approach to learning, which allows students to learn at their own pace. There are some great adaptive games out there, and when used as a supplemental teaching tool, can have a profound impact on student learning.

One program that is doing an unbelievable job of gamifying math is Prodigy Math Game. Prodigy is a free, adaptive math game that integrates 1st to 7th grade math into a fantasy style game that students absolutely love playing. Prodigy’s math content is completely curriculum-aligned and covers standards from the Common Core, MAFs, and TEKS curricula depending on your location.  Prodigy takes game-based learning a step further and provides teachers with a powerful set of reporting and assessment tools that allow them to easily identify trouble spots, differentiate instruction, and better manage classroom time.

Over 1,500,000 students and 50,000 teachers use Prodigy for free math practice and it’s easy to see why. Here’s what teachers we spoke to had to say about the program:

“The Prodigy program has been an invaluable tool to my students and me. My students are motivated to practice their math skills in a fun and interactive way both at school and at home. The greatest benefit for my students is that they are able to work on skills currently being taught in class and Prodigy automatically adapts based on their performance. The progress reports highlight individual strengths and needs. This helps with my planning and differentiation for my students.” – Ivan Dublin, SERTBrimwood Blvd. Jr. P.S.

“What I really love about the Prodigy program is the feedback that I get in terms of what the students know and where they need to improve. I also love the fact that I can see what questions were difficult and how the students answered them. I believe that students have improved their confidence in all areas of the math program. They are so excited to play and learn!” – Sue McCullochGrade 3/4 Northport Elementary School

Prodigy is extremely effective at engaging students using an adaptive technology to cater to each individual. Prodigy’s personalized approach quickly identifies gaps in students’ understanding and works with them by pulling them back to prerequisite skills and then scaffolding them forward through more difficult concepts. As a web-based game, Prodigy can be accessed at school and at home on virtually any device. And speaking of engagement, Prodigy’s user data reveals that for every 30 minutes a student uses Prodigy in school, they will go home and play for 60 minutes voluntarily!
You can Sign-up your class for free in less than 2 minutes, and see why teaching math will never be the same! 





Disclosure - Prodigy is a paid advertiser on Educational Technology Guy.