Understanding How Advancement Works

Modified on Fri, 28 Apr, 2017 at 3:59 PM

One of the more interesting features of Play Attention is its emphasis on progressively challenging students as they develop their skill sets. This allows them to get the most out of their training time by facilitating the optimal mix of success and challenge. Though this is done in multiple ways, the most visible to students is their advancement through the Bronze, Silver, and Gold skill options.

These skill options get more complex as a student progresses, so the program will move a student up only when certain criteria have been met. These criteria are slightly different for each game, but the main factors are: 75% or higher attention percentage, full duration attempts, and 2 or less mechanical errors per attempt, (2 or less impulsive strikes, 2 or less incorrect strikes, 2 or less delays, etc.).

Every time a student successfully meets or exceeds the relevant criteria within a particular game, they are alerted visually by one of their yellow "stars" being highlighted. You may have noticed there are five of these. Once all five are highlighted, the software will move that student up to the next skill option in that game.
It is important to remember, however, that true mastery is determined by consistency of performance, so to move up in a particular game, all criteria within that game have to be met five times in a row. This can be confusing to some students as they see themselves gaining stars, and then they may see all of those stars disappear. This happens because if criteria are not met, it breaks the five times in a row, and thus, the progression requirements start over.

This does not take away any reward points from the student, so it's important to make the student aware that they are not being penalized, so to speak, if they miss criteria. It's just that their progression from Bronze to Silver or Silver to Gold is starting over.
Nonetheless, the acquirement of stars is a great tool for motivation, as it is a tangible indication of success. It's something the student can see very readily without getting into the minutiae of scores or numbers. As such, be sure to make a "big deal" out of stars, with lots of verbal praise and congratulations.