Streaks

Now we are into our GCSE art exam preparation time, I have been thinking about how we can use the idea of repetitive practise to improve productivity. I have turned to how phone apps use ‘streaks’ to engage and motivate.

According to the advert, goals are easy to set but hard to achieve. Streaks on iOS can automatically record daily goals like “walk 10,000 steps,” “exercise for 30 minutes,” or “meditate for 15 minutes” based on your phone activity and can be monitored through apps. Streaks help to increase motivation and build new learning habits. Earning Streaks means that you can track your own progress.

Streaks above as seen on Headspace, Duolingo and Apple Fitness. A visual representation of statistics on usage using gamification¹ to engage/addict us to its use. From ‘closing your rings’ to SnapchatStreaks, to Candy Crush and Peloton too (apparently).

However, I want to make it fun to get the work done! The wonderful @LouiseClazey at Cramlington Learning Village had a visual of each of her GCSE students represented as costumed clothes pegs on a wall chart… each would move up the chart as they completed tasks. (Apologies if I have misrepresented this or misattributed the idea as I am no longer on X/Twitter to check). A coloured grid would work or even a race track  but we are talking Y11 and some are a little… belligerent to say the least. So I went for a timeline with colour-coded sections; something like this:

The colours represent tasks too, so that in the Green zone all tasks relate to A01. They are grouped roughly in three tasks a week and I know some students don’t need this kind of support and can easily work independently. Others need help and that is what this is for.

By completing three pages a week, a staple-bound 50 page sketchbook should be filled in the 10 week preparation period.

Visually an Art Streak is represented by continuous completion of the weekly tasks and even advancement (XP?) into the next zone. This colour tracker is intended to motivate and engage… so far with some mixed results.

Some students like to advance through the colours and others have… given up already! So obviously the idea needs a tweak or it may just be the students I have this year.

Maybe using a small flame icon on their online Classroom with a counter would help visualise their progress. I could use an AI program to help me do the code?

Something like:

🔥 Finish a Task.

🔥🔥 Collect resources.

🔥🔥🔥🔥 Complete an experiment.

Totals this week:

I will have to come up with some way of doing this automatically. Still a work in progress!

At the end of the day, I’m trying to help the students to help themselves and there is nothing more demotivating than falling behind when there is a rigid timeline. This week I have engaged a time-honoured reward system for maintaining a streak in art; those that finished all their tasks got a lolly pop.

---

¹ More on the potential exploitative nature of gamification in You’ve Been Played, such as “Warehouse workers pack boxes while a virtual dragon races across their screen. If they beat their colleagues, they get an award. If not, they can be fired. Uber presents exhausted drivers with challenges to keep them driving. China scores its citizens so they behave well, and games with in-app purchases use achievements to empty your wallet.”.