Floreo's AI-driven characters, Jordan and Marcie, present wonderful opportunities for practicing extended reciprocal conversations and for role-playing interactions. But did you know they can also play games? One game to try with them is the classic "20 Questions."
Twenty Questions is a word game that can be played with a partner or in a group. The basic rules are as follows: one person thinks of a something (usually, person, animal or thing) and the other person -- or rest of the group -- asks yes/no questions to narrow down the possibilities. The guesses might target a particular category, feature or function. For example, someone might ask a question such as, "Is it alive?" If the answer is 'yes', the next question might be: "Is it an animal?", and so on.
When you launch the lesson, Conversation Corner with Jordan and Marcie: Park, you will need to ask the character to play this game with you. When Jordan and Marcie play this game, they can take on either role. They can be the person who thinks of the person, place, thing or they can be the person who guesses. (They often will default to thinking of the person, place or thing, but are happy to switch roles when asked.)
During the game, they will offer running commentary, which can serve as a strong model for the Learner. Sometimes, they will "think out loud" as a way of modeling how they are putting the clues together to arrive at a logical answer. Other times, they will offer encouragement and prosocial comments to keep the interaction positive.
Jordan and Marcie can be quite flexible with the rules of this game. If you would like them to allow for responses such as "not exactly", or "I'm not sure," they can adjust accordingly. If they get too flexible with their questions or responses, the Learner can remind them and they will acquiesce. In some instances, the character will count the questions. Other times, questions continue until a guess is made.
Play throughout the lifetime, is an important way to learn, build social connections, practice executive functioning skills and more. Playing "20 Questions" with Jordan and Marcie can strengthen these skills while still being fun for the Learner. The Learner who is guessing exercises auditory working memory by retaining all of the answers to the questions. Then, the Learner uses deductive reasoning to put the clues together to come up with an answer. The experience offers Learners opportunities to use self-regulation skills if the game begins to get challenging. And, if the game gets too challenging, Learners have the opportunity to negotiate the rules with Jordan or Marcie. Understanding how categories, attributes and functions can help narrow down the possible answers, strengthens Learners' semantic mapping.
Are you curious about what other word games Jordan and Marcie can play? After a recent "20 Questions" game, Jordan suggested playing "Would your rather...?", a more free form social game that helps you get to know your conversational partner. Jordan and Marcie will always stick to socially appropriate topics in this game.