By Todd Nesloney and Travis Crowder
Educators are constantly looking for new ways to engage and challenge their students. Administrators are no different. Any great administrator looks for ways to engage their staff, provide learning and build culture.
If there’s one tool we’ve found that is perfect at doing just that, it’s GooseChase. GooseChase is an easy-to-use website and app that allows you to create virtual scavenger hunts. You create a game, share the code, and you’re off! It’s that easy.
Imagine for one of your staff development days how much fun you could have with a tool like GooseChase. One thing we’ve seen done is the administrator creates the game with tasks such as:
- Find the superintendent and record a 10 second cheer with him/her
- Visit the mayor and take a selfie with him
- Take a picture of someone from your team sliding down the slide
- Go to a store and take a picture of someone from your team climbing into the shopping cart
- Visit the local car dealership and take a picture with your favorite car
- Find a teacher from another school and take a selfie with them
- Create and record a team cheer
The fun had by teachers as they work together to complete the tasks at hand is unlike few other team building activities. With a tool like GooseChase, it also doesn’t have to end that day. The principal can continue to add challenges throughout the year for teams to continually complete for rewards and points.
We’ve also found utility for this app in the classroom. Asking students to find classmates with similar interests, books they may love to read, classrooms that hold special memories, and teachers whose words still live in their hearts can engage students during the first few days of the school year. In community there is power, and with this app, you have the potential to build community within your classroom and among students for the important work you will do in the weeks ahead. Encourage your teachers to use this app to create an environment built on trust, mutual respect and community.
You, the creator, determine the point value of tasks. Creating experiences, like those using GooseChase, can bring teams together like never before. Laughter, craziness, and extreme competitiveness are great side effects of doing something like a GooseChase.
So, get out there and try something new. Let’s go on a GooseChase!
Todd Nesloney is the principal of Webb Elementary in Navasota ISD. Todd co-authored Kids Deserve It! and Sparks in The Dark, and is the author of Stories from Webb.
Travis Crowder, a National Board Certified Teacher, teaches middle school students in North Carolina. He co-hosts the popular podcast series “Sparks in the Dark” and is co-author of Sparks in the Dark.
TEPSA News, September/October 2018, Vol 75, No 5
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