Geared

Geared is a FREE app that is wonderful for logic and reasoning skills. There are various levels to work through.  There is always one moving gear and one stationary gear (gear A and B) and you must build a bridge (other gears) to connect them.  Once connected, all of the gears will spin.  To add more challenge, there are slider boxes that you must move in order to drop a gear into place.

How does this app apply to therapy or the classroom?  This app is a great example of higher level thinking skills, analyzing problems, trying multiple strategies until you find a solution, and sometimes...teamwork.  This app can be played individually, with a partner, or even in a group.  At the group level, roles/jobs can be given to each player OR the group can work together on forming a plan of action.  This app is also 'geared' towards trial and error...most players will not likely create the correct bridge on the first attempt at each level.  With students, I emphasize that it is ok to try a strategy...it may or may not work.  I also make sure to model mistakes and asking for help.  I have also used this app for students who need practicing appropriate reactions to 'small problems'..."misplacing a gear is a small problem and small problems are ok."

As mentioned, this app addresses higher level thinking, so this is a great app for students who need a challenge! It also is popular with students in the middle school age range.  I have found this app useful for students who still need to work on goals, yet might need a challenging incentive during therapy to keep them motivated.  With these students, I make the student responsible for tracking what level they are on from week to week, etc.  For older students, I have also tried teams...each small group picks a team name and we track what level the team is on.  If a team gets stuck, other teams are allowed to write tips/notes on my whiteboard or they can ask each other at lunch (which they do).  Again, as with all apps, this app is merely an incentive or a 'follow up' to a more structured speech and/or language session. Typically, I use this app when I am targeting logic and reasoning.

To target expressive language, I have the students verbally explain and justify the steps and strategies they use for each turn.  This is also great for addressing sequencing skills.  We talk a great deal (and I model sentences) about planning out what we need to do first and why, etc. I also model what I did wrong during a mistake and why it did not work.

Directions and Tips for Use:

• Select a level from the Main menu.  There are 80 total levels.   You do not need to unlock the levels. 
• The gears you have in your tool box are displayed along the bottom of the screen...they vary in size and number. 
• The gears that you can use or place are shaded gray when placed; however, when dragging them around the screen, they appear mint green.  There are also red shaded boxes on the screen...these are zones where you can not drop a gear...you must drag the gear above the box and let it drop down.

 For this screen shot, I dragged the gear above the red box and then dropped it.

This screen shot shows the purple shaded 'slider box'.