eduPLAYnation programming provides a novel design method that combines Game Theory with Learning Science to engage and inspire students to learn through games. This is different from gamification insofar that it inspires intrinsic motivation, versus incentivizing students to meet learning objectives through extrinsic motivation or non-tangible tokens and rewards. This unique process naturally positions students for deeper understanding based on human connection, versus superficial or rote learning, as players compete to reveal and compare narratives. If so, learning is stored across the social or prefrontal cortex, a superior storage system as compared to the brain region that banks data sets as isolated facts.

JAMs can be played as stand-alone activities by small groups in 30 minutes. Nevertheless, we've designed JAMs to work in support of BRAVE games, as prequels and sequels between BRAVE board games. Each JAM package pdf is 16 pp. and includes (6) ELA extensions, with each extension taking approximately 30 minutes. If so, your class might take 7, 30-minute sessions to work through 1 JAM package taken from 1 series.

If, however, you're playing JAMs in conjunction with board game learning, because they're complimentary, you could play multiple JAMs within one era, moving across a series/strand, before/between board games, working through US History up to 1877. If so, your class could take a month or more playing JAMs between board games. This would be a wise approach because while board game learning is expansive and detailed, fun and fast-paced, JAMs offer more space and time to complete a deep dive into certain topics that board game learning can't.

Board games take 5 one-hour sessions to play.

To date, we have 2 series, each comprised of 10 JAMs. One JAM series for geography, another that focuses on politics & government. But don’t worry, more series are in the works!

JAM design strives to maximize your confidence and minimize prep time needed to facilitate or participate. JAMs are intuitive and easy to master, meaning once you’ve facilitated or played one JAM, you’re ready to play ‘em all! Plus, every series is organized identically by era, but dedicated to a different set of standards, or social studies strand. Meaning, as you move from series to series, the focus of study shifts but the backdrop of historical events and players remain constant depending on which JAM # you’re playing. This framework allows us to build and explore infinite narratives connected to the same storyline, putting history into fuller context.

There are two exceptions to this rule of thumb: 1) every JAM 1 is an ice breaker that aims to explore a different commercial game, including its historical context, gaming mechanics, and overall purpose. The focus of every JAM 1, therefore, is to consider how a playful, dynamic approach to learning may be less daunting, yet more rigorous than traditional methods; 2) every JAM 10 falls under the schema “creativity” and uses applied learning to connect learning from JAM 2-9 to distant events, including post-history. Note, all JAMs are played by small groups, usually 4 students, and use the same format and procedures.

Taken together, each and every JAM reinforces an existing pathway to deepen a student's capacity to build connections through time, including real time.

We use the same set of 10 different schemas to set the tone for each JAM series. The goal of using schemas to guide JAMs is to help your class incorporate higher order thinking into each JAM as a way to build and spiral skills needed to recognize, diagnose, and transform dilemmas found in each JAM.

Each schema is introduced through one of our ten (10) Pre-Game Warm-Ups. Download & print these booklets double-sided, head-to-head & fold.

Each JAM series consists of 10 unique JAMs, stacked chronologically, while each JAM series spirals through the same set of 10 correlating schemas. Schemas are conceptual frameworks that cue higher order thinking and frame the GUIDING QUESTIONS section found in each JAM. In other words, while we aim to build infinite JAMs, we'll always build them in sets of 10 around the same 10 schemas:

eduPLAYnation aims to bring “science” into the social sciences in a number of way, whether through Game Theory (design), or the scientific method (modeling). Why should students strive to view humanity with an objective lens if humans are inherently subjective and act on whims, emotions, myths, and groupthink?

Humans survive and thrive on a sense of belonging—to their families, friends, and primary cultures. Yet this doesn’t mean to the exclusion of “other.” Often, learning about and collaborating with people outside our immediate circles deepens our sense of self, provided we know who we are at our core. This implies understanding and setting boundaries. First, learning how to control our emotions, thoughts and actions depends on being self-aware, understanding the source of emotions. Second, having reflected on affect, we use it to cue cognition to understand the source of all actions. This includes answering Who, Where, What, Where, How and Why.

In sum, recognizing and honoring the subjective, or inherent humanity, plays a key role in enhancing our capacity to reason. Therefore, to remain as objective as is humanly possible, we apply the 5E model. This will enhance the strength of any JAM (the model) and reinforce existing academic pathways to support critical thinking:

Elephanta Education believes teaching and learning are reciprocal tasks. This means we don’t preach inclusivity and civility, our method design hinges on it! Our novel design method ensures every player takes responsibility for group learning. In that sense, each students plays a key role in terms of strengthening the groups capacity to build context, increase perspective and assess complexity.

The same kind of reciprocity exists between the reader and their text. Whereby empathy cues cognition, asking students to consider WHO, WHERE, WHAT, WHEN, HOW, and WHY.