- General tips for tailoring
- Changing the complexity of tasks: Choose simpler or more complex tasks tailored to the age and knowledge level of the students (e.g., using easier numbers or shorter words).
- Modifying the time frame: You can allow more or less time for the tasks to be completed, depending on the children’s attention skills.
- Amount and quality of support: Initially, provide more help (e.g., guidance, examples), then gradually reduce it so that students become more independent.
- Simplify or complicate the rules: It is possible to apply more or fewer rules, or to introduce new challenges (e.g., there are many more identical fish than the number of team members; there are fewer fish with the same math operation on it than the number of teams; there is a math operation on only one side of the fish that is not visible when they are in the lake; there is a math operation for which there is no answer on the worksheet).
- Changing the number of the team members
- Beginners (6-7 years old): – Learners with low resilience
- The aim of the activity: to help children safely participate in teamwork, practice emotional control, persist in trying, and experience that failures can be managed.
- Tasks are simple, with few fish and limited information, and the rules are clear.
- The teacher supports participation, demonstrates how the activity works, encourages the children, and provides examples of how to apply simple strategies.
- Children experience individual failure (e.g., catching the wrong fish) and team failure (e.g., the team does not complete the plan), with the teacher giving encouraging feedback to support further attempts.
- The activity helps children practice cooperation within the team, manage their emotions, and understand that failure does not reduce their willingness to participate.
- Advanced learners (8-9 years old): – Learners with moderate resilience
- The aim of the activity: to develop effective team participation, strategic thinking, perseverance, flexible problem-solving, and constructive handling of failures.
- Tasks are moderately complex, with more fish and information, requiring children to work together according to a strategy.
- Children actively participate in developing the team strategy and carrying out the tasks.
- The teacher supports with encouraging questions, e.g., “What could be the next step?” or “How can you work together more effectively?”
- The activity helps children contribute ideas independently, pay attention to their teammates, manage individual and team failures, and think optimistically and future oriented.
- Experts (9–10 years old): – Learners with high resilience
- The aim of the activity: to develop conscious strategic thinking, advanced problem-solving, perseverance, self-control, and active, responsible team participation.
- Tasks are complex, with multiple fish and information, and potentially more complicated rules, requiring the team’s flexibility and strategic planning.
- Children work fully collaboratively with their team, taking responsibility for the strategy, task completion, and handling team failures.
- The teacher provides support only, if necessary, with emphasis on process awareness and reflection (“It’s valuable how you planned and executed the task together, even if not everything worked perfectly at first”).
- The activity strengthens perseverance, self-control, problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, and supportive teamwork, while teaching that managing failures is an essential part of success.
