I swear by two educational strategies and try to regularly implement them in my classes: scaffolding and spaced repetition. Of course, hundreds of other strategies exist, but these are my favorites. Scaffolded instruction is a simple idea. Content in skills should be taught in a “scaffolded” manner from simple to more complex. For example, a scaffolded vocabulary lesson could involve: 1) a word search puzzle with the vocabulary words, 2) a vocabulary and definition matching task, 3) a cloze (fill-in-the-blank) activity using the vocabulary, and 4) students creating sentences with the vocabulary words. At each stage, students are more cognitively engaged and receive less support from the instructor.
If scaffolding is an in-lesson strategy, spaced repetition is used across units and semesters. Humans are bad at remembering things we are exposed to once or twice. Spaced repetition has students regularly go back and use previously learned material to further cement learning. In our vocabulary example, spaced repetition could involve short warm-up exercises using those vocabulary words every two or three weeks.
I am using both strategies to help my toddler learn to play Splendor. The game recommends ages of 10+, and my son is only 3 so this is an educational experience more than a true attempt at playing. We revisit Splendor about twice a month to build on each skill. We play until he wants to play a new game because this should be fun, not a chore. Once he masters a skill, we move to the next.
Skill 1: Basic colors
We often used the Splendor tokens to practice when he was learning his colors. The tokens are tactile objects that engender more interest than a book of colors.
Skill 2: Counting
The tokens are good for counting because of their tactile nature. It was easy to keep his focus on the tokens as he picked them up and dropped them into a box.
Skill 3: Colors and Numbers
We use Splendor’s tokens and cards to combine colors and numbers. In the game, players use tokens to buy cards. Each card cost is clearly labeled, and most cards require differing amounts of various colors. Toddlers get a chance to practice identifying numbers and linking numbers to amounts as they count out the tokens.
Skill 4: Quantitative Comparison
My mom has been an early childhood educator most of her life so when she saw my son working on his colors and numbers using Splendor, she recommended integrating comparisons. There is no real reason why the digit “4” means there is more of something than the digit “3” other than we all agree on the meaning of those discrete symbols. A toddler can see a “3” with a pile of three tokens and compare it to a “4” with a pile of four tokens and more easily learn that “4” is more than “3.”
Skill 5: Purchasing (we are here)
Purchasing is our most recent skill. I am scaffolding even in individual skills. Right now, I give him a small pile of tokens in various colors and a pile of cards. I know how many cards he can buy with those cards; his job is to find which cards he can afford. I started by giving him the exact number of tokens and now I give him a few extra (but not enough to buy another card) to make things more difficult.
Skill 6: Resource Collection and Use
This seems to be the next logical step. After he masters the ability to spend tokens to buy cards, I want to move to use the purchased cards as permanent income. Splendor is an engine-building game where players must buy cheaper cards that provide steady income to buy the best cards because the best cards cost more than the number of available tokens.
The Keasy Depot 