Welcome Back to the Institute of Play!

Program Name: TeacherQuest

A fresh approach to professional development designed to empower teachers as designers, increase student engagement and re-imagine what teaching can be through games and game-like learning.

Overview: TeacherQuest is a FREE professional development program for teachers interested in integrating games (digital and analog) and game-like learning into their practice. The program includes an intensive in-person Summer Institute from June 16-20, complemented by a series of online project-based design challenges through April 2015.

Applicants: TeacherQuest is open to middle school teachers and other intermediate-level educators in Allegheny County from public, private, or charter schools. Educators should sign up in teams of two. For example, a team could be two teachers from the same school; a literacy coach and a teacher that work together; two teachers from the same district; a teacher and a school administrator, etc. Previous experience with the use of games and learning is welcome, but not required!

Informational workshops* will be held at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit in the transformED space on the following dates:

April 8th, 4 – 5:30 pm
April 9th, 9 – 10:30 am
April 9th, 2 – 3:30 pm

*Attending informational workshops is not required to apply.

Application Process

To be considered, educators should complete this application: bit.ly/TQapp2014

Applicants must also have a reference fill out a recommendation. A direct link to the recommendation form is here). You can also access a form email with a description of the program and the link embedded here.

Applications are due April 30^th, 2014.

Credits: Participants will receive two CPE (Continuing Professional Education) credits. Both credits will be awarded upon the completion of the program.

Stipend: Each participant will receive a $500 stipend for TeacherQuest. $250 will be given in June following the Summer Intensive, then the remaining $250 will be given upon the completion of the program.

Detailed Description: At Quest to Learn in New York City and ChicagoQuest in Chicago, teachers learn how to design experiences that tap the pedagogical power of games to increase student engagement, activate key 21st Century skills, and improve learning outcomes. Now, the same curriculum and support is available to teachers everywhere through TeacherQuest, a new professional development program based on the Quest model of game-like learning.

TeacherQuest is designed to support educators who work with a range of grades and subject areas. The program includes an intensive in-person Summer Institute, complemented by a series of hands-on and online workshops with project-based design challenges through April 2015. Teachers who participate in the Summer Institute will leave with: a toolkit of strategies that effectively integrate games (digital and analog) into their teaching practice to increase student learning and engagement; a connection to an online community dedicated to supporting continuing education; and a set of analog games of their own design and from our existing game library – ready to use in classrooms for the 2014-2015 school year. Participants in the program will receive online professional development support through April 2015.

Created by Institute of Play, the non-profit learning design studio behind Quest schools, TeacherQuest will be piloted in Summer 2014 in partnership with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) in Pittsburgh. The Institute and AIU previously partnered to pilot the MobileQuest CoLab professional development program in Summer 2013. Learn more here.