Have you ever felt paralyzed by starting a task. You know you need to do it, but you find ways to procrastinate. This happens to me all the time. I find that even if the task is important, if I don’t feel confident about the task I will procrastinate it until it never gets done and it’s too late.
This same feeling happens in our classrooms every day. When a student sees a task that feels too big or requires a skill they are not confident in, their brain can hit the brakes. It is not that they are unwilling to learn, it is that the perceived mountain is too high to climb. By thinking like a game designer, we can create a “first checkpoint” for them. This is an initial, small, and clear task that is directly related to the larger goal but is easily achievable. It provides that crucial first feeling of success, builds momentum, and gives them the confidence they need to continue on the path to the next checkpoint, making the entire learning journey feel possible.
I always thing that a student doing something rather than nothing is better. When designing an activity that perhaps some students won’t feel confident tackling, consider providing an entry point that they can feel confident about doing. I don’t make it worth as many points perhaps, but it brings them into the lesson.
