Gentle Teaching in a Violent Society

========  Campaign Update =======

 Wow, if its the thought that counts, we had a smash hit!  Alas, the good thoughts couldn’t be taken to the bank ;-).  The feedback we received in our first campaign was great,  and would-be donors would like to see more of our approach to the design and distribution of the game so they can see how this will make a difference. 

Based on this feedback, the Haberman Educational Foundation and Simiosys Real World Laboratory have agreed to proceed on the Pre-Production phase for Teacher Talk, and share the progress in a Pre-Production Blog, which will provide a behind the scenes look into the process of designing and developing this game. There will also be opportunity for you to provide input, comments and feedback and maybe become a “guinea pig” tester!

In the near future, we are also going to REBOOT our campaign to raise money for the next phase of production to start right after pre-production.

Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign, either by donating or spreading the word or creating some awesome videos and prototypes. Although we did not reach our funding goals, this was an important first step towards making Dr. Haberman’s dream a reality.  The CEO of Haberman Educational Foundation was truly moved by our efforts and all the trainers from the foundation are also excited to be a part of our upcoming preproduction. 

What’s Next

The Haberman Foundation and Simiosys have agreed to take the momentum of the indieogo campaign and underwrite the pre-production development. A pre-production blog will be launched where you can get involved from the very beginning with the process of creative design and development, be a part of an open-innovation project  (http://simiosys.com/blog/) 

Over the next 6 months, we will be blogging about our pre-production process; releasing new concept art, videos, workshops, scripts and other materials to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s development. In addition, the blog will be a place where we invite your collaboration and input as subject matter experts, game developers, and expert consumers. 

New Campaign

During the pre-production time period, we will also revisit the idea of an indiegogo campaign. This was our first campaign and we learned a lot from failing to reach our goal. In the next iteration, we will do more to spread the word to media outlets, and to support the campaign through social media, blogging, and distributing the word to friends, family, and the community of teachers who will benefit most from having this game. 

What you can do: 

• Visit The pre-production blog, where you can get involved in the process of building the game from the very beginning. (http://simiosys.com/blog/)
• Give us a Shout out to encourage the vision and our work.
• Spread the word: Tell everyone you know about this important project! Send them a link to the blog and our new campaign page when we launch in the next few weeks. 

Thank you again for your support. We cannot do this without you, and will need your help in the coming months to make this game a reality!

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Instructional Micro-Game Preparing Teachers with Critical Survival Skills to De-escalate Classroom Conflict and Increase Student Engagement

This project is to produce the first in a series of Instructional Mico-Game Apps to introduce critical, just-in-time training intervention for first-time teachers on dealing with challenging Kids. This virtual experience brings alive the teachings of Dr. Martin Haberman from his latest book “Teacher Talk, When Teachers Face Themselves”.  

Dr. Haberman's research focused on helping teachers to survive in difficult classrooms. By learning to identify the psychological motivations of students, teachers can respond appropriately to de-escalate misbehaviors before they get out of control. Teachers who understand their students and treat each individual student with respect and attention, are able to build a classroom community where kids learn and enjoy learning even in difficult schools. 

The game will be offered with anytime-anywhere accessibility on the web through mobile devices and desktops. As a free download, it will provide an introductory session on recognizing and responding to the psychological needs of students, the foundation of relating with difficult students.  This inaugural module will establish the pipeline and validation of subsequent modules that will be available to directly support teachers, school districts, educational organizations to better server the next generation student and teacher relationship.  

Game Prototype & Concept Art

What We Need 

• Funding Overview: Funding will go towards creating a game that will be distributed online and on some mobile devices. If we are able to reach our entire $50,000 goal, we will offer the game for free to teachers (and anyone else who wants to play). 
  
  
• Plan B: If we do not reach our entire $50,000 goal, we will create a smaller version of the game to be distributed online to teachers. 

Who We Are

The Haberman Educational Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 based in Houston, TX and was chartered to promote and disseminate the research of Dr. Martin Haberman. The unified and single goal of the Haberman Educational Foundation is to teach and implement research-based models for identifying exceptional "Star" teachers and principals, particularly educators who serve students at risk and in poverty.

Simiosys Real World Laboratories is working with the Haberman Foundation to make this interactive game a reality. Simiosys is an applied research firm specializing in experiential design for entertainment and education. 

Other Ways You Can Help

• If you can't contribute, you can still help make our campaign a success! Spread the news and share our campaign on facebook, twitter, and other social networking sites. 

• If you are an educator, please feel free to contact us to get involved. We are always interested in working with others to make the game more realistic to the classroom experience. 

• For more information about Dr. Haberman's research; to sign up for a workshop; or purchase books or DVDs, visit the Haberman Foundation website: http://www.habermanfoundation.org/