Welcome to Challenge Master!

A supervising adult helps the student prepare for the tutorial. First, they select a computer game with several levels of difficulty that the student will play intermittently during the tutorial. Then the information requested on the form below is provided.

Ideally, the adult will also sign up for the tutorial. When they do, they can work through it together as a shared process with Individualized/private content. The skill set being taught is equally relevant to young learners and adults, so two person parallel-play can lessen resistance if present and substantially level the adult/student playing field.

Dear Supervising Adult,

Please ask (name) to provide this information and please also provide your own example if you will be taking the tutorial in tandem.  “You probably have gotten stuck in computer games before and had to try really hard before you were able to succeed and get to the next level. Think about one of those successes you really enjoyed and say what you did in a few words that will help you remember it later.

Here is how I want to describe my success memory:


........................................................................................................

Participants are now introduced to the illustrated Challenge Master Guides who will direct the tutorial process.

Hello (name). Welcome to Challenge Master!

As soon as you select the video game you will be playing during the tutorial we can explain what Challenge Master is all about. Make sure you pick a game that is challenging and has several levels you can work up to!                                                                (Click)

Each guide takes a turn presenting "about Challenge Master" information, beginning with:

Video games are challenging and fun because there are opportunities to improve. As soon as you get skilled at one level you can work toward the next. You don't get bored because there are challenges. There are always points where you get stuck until you find out which adjustments to make. Maybe you need a little more of this, less of that, or something different.But when you do make the right adjustments, you get unstuck, and that's how you improve! 

Different people get stuck in learning at different points in gaming, school, sports, hobbies and lots of other areas. We call these challenge points. You learn by moving through your challenge points, and you move through your challenge points by making adjustments. Challenge Master will teach you what adjustments to make when you get stuck and don't feel ready to do your best. Then you can get better and better at gaming or anything else you decide to learn.                                                                                                                  (Click)

Note for funders and programmers: There are eleven segments of tutorial material. Each segment ends with its own animated story, designed to convey the essence of the material just covered in an entertaining and engaging way. For example: First animated story: “Getting Stuck” The salient points conveyed are: The end goal is known There has been progress Progress has stopped Right after each of these stories ends, there is a “pause point”. The purpose of each pause point is to provide a process by which participants can review, assess, and enhance their grasp of the material covered in each segment. The 11 pause-points activities template First, the covered tutorial material is bullet pointed for active review.  Participants will be prompted to replay the animated clip and to challenge themselves to find out how and where the bullet point material manifests in the story line.  When there are tandem participants, they can communicate with each other during the review, either in person or via computer. They can seek help when they do not understand, offer help when they do, or confirm a mutual understanding when they have it. As they move along participants rate how well they understand each bullet point by choosing one of these responses: “I get it and I can think of times when this has happened in the past and times when it could happen in the future”. “I understand some of it but I think I am missing something”. “I don’t get it”. When there are tandem participants, they exchange assessments of each other using the same criteria: “It seems like you get it and I bet you can think of times when this happened in the past and could happen in the future”. “It seems like you get some of it but not all of it”. “It doesn’t seem like this makes sense to you yet”. Whenever participants complete their review, their “I don’t get it(s)” will prompt an assignment to go over the relevant tutorial material (which will be highlighted) one more time. Participants who “get some of it but not all of it” and want more understanding before they begin the next segment can go over the tutorial material one more time and/or seek help from a tandem partner who “gets it. When tandem participants each “get some of it but not all of it” and want to understand more before moving on they can try to help each other. Bullet points will reappear in subsequent pause point reviews until the “I get it” and “I can think of times when this happened in the past and could happen in the future” has been recorded.

Animated sequence #1: Getting Stuck Salient points: The end goal is known Progress has been made Progress has stopped Pause-point #1:  Getting Stuck Bullet Points: When a video game is challenging, it is fun because there are opportunities to improve. These opportunities happen when there is a challenge and you get stuck. We call these challenge points. You learn by moving through your challenge points, and you move through your challenge points by making adjustments. Challenge Master will teach you how to make adjustments when you get stuck and don’t feel ready to do your best.

So, getting stuck isn’t a bad thing. It just means that you aren’t sure what you need to do next.

We've learned how to handle our Challenge Points.

We're not afraid of them anymore, and whenever we get stuck, we always try our best. These are some things we call it when we get stuck trying to learn and don't act out, give up or run away:

"Doing my best!" ​
​"Putting my best foot forward!"
"Helping myself!" 
"Improving!"
"Getting out of my own way!"
"Being creative!"
​"Building my confidence!"

"Getting unstuck!"
​“Learning how I can learn!"
"Cooperating!"
"Refusing to quit!"
"Getting stronger!" 
"Accepting the challenge!"
​ "Surprising myself!"

​"Solving the problem!"
"Expecting the best!"
"Surprising others!"
"Making myself proud!"
"Doing what I can!"
"Making the effort!" 
​"Believing in myself!"

Then each student's qualifying success memory is held up as an example of what Challenge Masters can do when they get stuck and are challenged in the learning process. Guide role modeling begins as the students are asked to select two list entries that best describe why they should be proud of what they did. Then:

That's one of my favorites!  I figured out how to get from here...

​To here!

Then the student’s second selection is highlighted and responded to:
​
That’s one of my favorites! I figured out how to get from here...

​

​To here!

“Challenge Masters learn how to handle lots of different challenge points (Name)."                                                                (Click)

(Click)

(Click)

(Click)

(Click)

(Click)

(Click)

Congratulations (name)!  You have now reached the point where you can have your own Guide to show you what we have learned.

(Click)

Who would you like to show you how to do the things Challenge Masters do? ​

(Click)

Student selects Guide and the normalization of "getting" and "being" stuck at Challenge Points in learning begins.

Effort and personal reward begin to get paired.
​
So, (name} here's some great news! Something happens whenever you take on a challenge and try your best to find what it takes to move through it.

What happens is that you get something very valuable that nobody else can give you. It's like a reward. Sometimes it's your reward for being willing to try really hard even when it's hard. Other times it's a reward for being ​willing to try hard and having success when you do. Let's look at an example:

(Click)

Sometimes this is still a Challenge Point for me, but I have been practicing and learning how to move

​

​From here...

​

​To here!

And, now that I am practicing, I succeed much more often. And, I get rewards! I am proud of myself and I feel confident that I can do it again!

Then guides begin the process of directing students' awareness and attention within as they play and get stuck in between game levels.

So (name), now that you will be playing (game name) while you work through this tutorial we both know that there will be Challenge Points. First you will develop enough skill to get through a level and then you will need to learn additional skills to get through the next.

​The internal state distinctions to be observed will gradually be specified as students practice "looking within".

As students return to play, guides begin the process with these instructions:

Notice what it is like for you to be stuck for a little while. Then when you come back from the game think about what might have helped you while you were stuck.

(Click)

Challenge Masters have learned what we need when we get really stuck at challenge points.

(Click)

Like when we get stuck more often than we expect to. Or,

(Click)

Like when we get stuck for longer than we expect to.

(Click)

Animated sequence #2: Being Stuck Salient Points: Something has to change. “It” won’t change by itself. Even when it doesn’t seem like it at first, there might be something I can do. Pause-point #2:  Being Stuck Bullet Points: Sometimes you find out that you are really stuck and that something has to change before you can succeed. You can find out what needs to change. Even though it may not seem like it at first there just might be something you can do that will help you succeed.

​Then students begin to learn about the cognitive and emotional resources that will help them at Challenge Points.

We all found out that whenever we get stuck we just need to find enough Confidence, Concentration, and Determination to do our best work.

(Click)

Then the student is given a homework assignment that introduces them to what comes next in the tutorial: Learning how to “check inside” and then identify and activate internal resources for help at Challenge-Points.

You just did a lot (Name). Maybe you would like to take a break. Just let us know when you are ready to begin learning learn how to do what we do.

I’m ready

(Click)

Skills-training begins now that students have settled into the Tutorial process. Here is an overview of what they will learn how to do:

CHECK INSIDE AND ASSESS

Students learn what to look for and evaluate as they optimize their problem solving. The Tutorial provides students with the necessary skills to evaluate and respond to internal thoughts and feelings that are keeping them from doing their best work or making a sincere effort to do so.

​Throughout the tutorial they are learning how to access and utilize determination, concentration and confidence as a path to uncovering their true problem solving potential.

​The path Challenge Master teaches them to take looks like this: