In understanding the CASEL competencies, it’s easy to see where digital game-based learning could be linked to a platform like Prodigy, which puts these at the forefront.

290) defined mathematics confidence as “a student’s perception of their ability to attain good results and their assurance that they can handle difficulties in mathematics,” which is, essentially, self-efficacy in math. Self-efficacy is the level of confidence one believes they have in how their behavior impacts their performance.

Self-awareness is defined as the ability to “understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts” with indicators such as identifying one’s own emotion (such as confidence) and self-efficacy. Self-management is the ability to “manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations to achieve goals and aspirations” and includes indicators such as exhibiting self-motivation. In the SEL competency framework developed by CASEL, two core competencies, self-management and self-awareness, are highlighted as necessary components of a student’s SEL toolkit. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is one of the leading organizations in research and implementation of SEL in schools. Additionally, in a 2021 survey with more than 2,200 parent and teacher responses, 96% surveyed said they were satisfied with the educational impact of Prodigy Math. Though confidence too often is considered simply a soft skill, it is an important connection to a student’s academic achievement, and perhaps most importantly, social-emotional skills. In a 2021 survey by Prodigy Education with over 1,000 parent responses, nearly 7 out of 10 reported that their child’s confidence had improved after using Prodigy Math. It provides students with personalized learning that is continuously updated as they progress through the games. This means Prodigy’s adaptive algorithm ensures that learning is student-centered.

Students see content which is challenging enough to keep them engaged and motivated, but intuitive enough to take them to various prerequisite skills when it detects struggle. To drive this, Prodigy employs an adaptive algorithm to automatically detect students’ strengths, find their areas of need and keep them in their zone of proximal development. Prodigy believes that maximizing student motivation levels helps develop a love of learning that will last a lifetime. Its core philosophy to its educational games is Motivation First!. Prodigy is especially interesting because of its focus on SEL indicators, like confidence and motivation.

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