Future Goals - Hockey Scholar Program is
a hybrid “Serious Game” and online STEM education program created by The Game Agency in
partnership with Washington, D.C.-based EverFi to help students understand the real world applications of
science and math principles, using the game of hockey as a learning vehicle.
According to the developers, over the past
decade, the number of available workers with strong STEM skills has not kept
pace with the demand from the U.S. labor market. Studies suggest that teens
lose interest in these critical topics by the tenth grade. Teachers have been
facing an uphill struggle trying to compete for mindshare amidst the myriad of
student activities and distractions. But teachers can use student interests
from outside the classroom in their studies by changing the content delivery
mechanism from traditional in-class learning to one which taps into teen
passions, specifically video games and sports.
In Future Goals, over the
course of a simulated hockey season, students in grades four through seven
manage their favorite hockey team and engage with real hockey superstars to
apply math and science principles in pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
As they guide their team, students complete 12 learning modules that
educate them and test their knowledge on core STEM concepts covering data
analysis, geometry, life science, and physical science. These topics come to
life through real hockey examples that include the dynamics of the ice surface,
equipment design, athletic performance, and geometric and energy
considerations, all relating to how the game is played.
Students experience simulations where they can manipulate variables and
see the impact on specific concepts. For example, during an engineering module,
students can manipulate the radius of hollow (how a skate is sharpened) of a
hockey skate. Students will collect and graph data in order to determine the
relationship between the radius of hollow and a player's stopping speed.
A great merit of the game is using a mostly visual interface to help
players learn and then immediately apply STEM concepts, thus eliminating the
need of “numerical hoops” and encouraging experimentation that parallels the
scientific process.
Future Goals - Hockey Scholar™ fully delivers on its promise of providing a
playful context for students to experience how science exists all around them
and how learning STEM skills can be applied to everyday life, responding to a
few challenges educators face when teaching STEM topics in the classroom.
Since its launch in September 2014, Future Goals has reached over
930,000 students in 9,300 schools across the United States and Canada. The game
is on target to be played by over one million students within three years.
The "Serious Games" is available to elementary and middle schools across North
America for free. For more information on bringing Future Goals to your
school, please contact info at everfi.com.