Quizalize, the formative assessment game created by a former Google product manager, is engaging with schoolchildren to design a new game that will help 1.5 million students in 60 countries master subjects globally.
The winning idea will yield a cash prize for both the winning student and their school, and be produced by Quizalize. The game will complement the existing game formats already used, including a basketball game and a race to the top of the flag.
CEO Charles Wiles was himself a teen gamer and programmer, creating and coding his first ever computer game – a 3D golf game on a BBC Micro – at the age of 13. He is a firm believer that children are best placed to advise and create games that will be most engaging to young people, and that this can be transposed into an interactive tool that will help them better enjoy subjects at school and therefore learn more effectively.
“Creating a game involves a wide range of skills, and coding is just a part of a wider process,” he says. “It all starts off with a simple idea, which can be drawn and mapped out like a piece of art. Gameplay is such an innate part of a child and, when they have the confidence, they are not afraid to let their imaginations run wild.
“Gamification techniques and reward and recognition systems make the whole learning process more engaging and fun. Its functionality speaks in the language that children understand: gameplay, colour, interactivity and friendly competition.”
Using Quizalize in school entails teachers setting up quiz assignments in class – either by creating their own quizzes or selecting one of 150+ curriculum-mapped quizzes available on the Zzish marketplace – to activate the game. Class teams and individuals can play against the computer.
The technology is part of the real time formative assessment movement, a new generation of edtech programmed to improve memorisation and mastery of core curricular subjects.
For more information and to enter the competition, visit Quizalize and register your school here. The competition closes on 30 April, and the winners will be announced in May.