ClassCraft is a classy idea, but needs to craft some modifications

My Take

The concept is very good, but the execution was poor when I reviewed this product earlier in the academic year. I do recognize that services such as ClassCraft can rapidly respond to customer feedback, so hopefully the team has modified their material since. In the iteration that I saw, a suggested negative consequence for a low test score was to give the student less time on the next test! I think the whole focus on grades and homework was flawed. Why not character classes that promote interpersonal skills and social development? So, a child can be a healer, reflecting a person who is particularly interpersonal and concerned for the well being of others. A wizard class can be that studious student. Level points can be awarded for conspicuous acts f other-focusedness, such as a student assisting another student in understanding a math problem, or consoling a classmate through an emotionally challenging experience? In this way students can be rewarded for see their classmates and themselves as parts of a team, to which they bring their unique balance of gifts. Used in this way, classCraft has some potential, but at that level, a teacher can easily build his or her own system without resorting to paying for the ClassCraft service.