Technolandy

Day 36 (of 2024/25) @cuebc Eve – pro-d with @taskmasteredu and @taskmaster (spoilers)

I love taskmaster. The challenges and comedians I’ve been exposed to are influential and inspiring – don’t have to go beyond this years featuring Rosie Jones – a comedian who incorporates her cerebral palsy into her act (she is fabulous on 8 out of 10 Cats if you want to go down a rabbit hole!) to see how inclusive the show… and now the edu club can be and is. With the reminder that humour is important and of uncomfortable you can always “pass” on a task – there’ll be plenty of opportunity to take risks!

We are promoting how well TM blends with core competencies in BC Education (creative and critical thinking … collaboration … communication) as well as ADST and STEM/STEAM – and design thinking – albeit with time constraints because: your time starts… now

Benefits of Taskmaster Club

Sense of Belonging / Inclusivity

Everyone gets their moment to shine at Taskmaster Club. Whether the children or young people are sporty, academic, musical, literary, mathematical, competitive, artistic, introverted or just downright quirky, there are tasks that will give them all a chance to flourish. In my gentle introductions to TM, I have seen students and staff shift from nervousness (to try) to eager and anticipating the next one – to cheer on successes and “oopses”

Creativity

There are no wrong answers at Taskmaster Club, but thinking outside the box is rewarded. Children are encouraged to think creatively and laterally to find unique approaches to each task and win more points from the Taskmaster. It continues to impress me how participants are more willing to think creatively during TM… looking for ‘cheats’ and knowing there is no one correct answer (and even incorrect answer may not get points from the taskmaster)

Teamwork / Collaboration

The teams that succeed and get the most from Taskmaster Club are the ones who listen to each other’s ideas and learn from their teammates. Different tasks play to different strengths and, by working as a team, the children are each able to contribute to their team’s successes by drawing on their unique talents and skills. I have not done team competitions yet, but even in solo tasks there has been collaboration and support regularly showing itself.

Self-esteem / Selt-Confidence

Taskmaster Club plays to a variety of different strengths, so it’s never the same teams who win each task. Extra-curricular clubs tend to focus on particular activities, skills or talents, whereas Taskmaster Club is unique in fostering a wide variety of skills. This approach builds up confidence and self-esteem, as different teams are likely to excel each week.

We have also found that children who come to Taskmaster Club reticent to speak up about, for example, their prize tasks in the early weeks of the clubs, very often display a greater willingness to speak out at the conclusion of the term! Our school specialized in students who are not confident about brick and mortar schools… the live and asynchronous “playing” has been fabulous with some who I thought wouldn’t… start to play.

Fun / Interactivity

Taskmaster Club incorporates a ‘learning by stealth’ approach that is a great way of teasing educational outcomes from something that is genuinely fun. By engaging with the tasks and working with their teammates, everyone enjoys the session by laughing, learning, being creative, and doing interactive tasks, together. I think some of the teachers want to play even more than the kids…

Reasoning

Teams will always score more points for being convincing in the reasoning behind their decisions. This is particularly the case with the Prize Task at the beginning of each Club episode. Every week the teams are invited to bring in or describe, “The best…” thing. That might be a physical object or a concept, but how the teams justify their decisions will determine how many points they receive. You can see the brains percolating.

Problem Solving

Taskmaster Club tasks can often be approached in a myriad of different ways, and teams must use their problem-solving skills to decide how best to tackle them. Tasks may be scored subjectively or objectively, with the latter often requiring teams to consider how best to create the longest, tallest, lightest etc. thing. Teams will have to work together to come up with solutions by drawing upon their collective problem-solving abilities. The anxiety brain generates a lot of options but struggles with “the right one” – TM makes it clear that the taskmaster doesn’t even know what the winning solution is until it presents itself!

Attendance

In schools, by improving pupils’ sense of belonging, their self-esteem and giving them a great reason to come to school, Taskmaster Club helps to improve attendance on the days that it is run. We don’t fine families for absences… but as we support mostly home based learners… no one has to be at our school…they get to be here. And they have liked coming when TM is on the agenda…

Big fan of the show. Big fan of the education modules. Fits in so well with cuebc mindsets of design thinking… tech as an amplifier and enabler. And doing cool things!