Spikey or Thorny?

[mikereyes]

Let me bump this a bit...

I've heard colors, names, and breeds....But what potential lies in the educational value?

See, I'm an aspiring teacher and trying to figure out new ways of learning and/or hidden learning is a passion. Any other ideas guys/girls?

Keep posting...If I get enough good answers I will increase the cap

 

[Rakan]

Battling in Pokemon actually requires quite a bit of strategy to win, not just mindless attack after attack. In fact, competitive battling is why Smogon exists. Just two years ago I didn't know anything about EV training or IVs, or even natures. There are countless strategies ranging from stall to heavy-offense and even balanced and semi-stall. These are all things that I have learned, and I would most certainly argue that it provides educational merit. Strategy can be considered a form of logical thinking and that is very important in any educational endeavor. Think of Pokemon as an unothodox method of teaching strategy and logical thinking :D

EDIT: Also, I prefer the Celebi if I win :3

EDIT 2: Woops my bad >.< How bout that Thorny Jr. then ;)

 

[mikereyes]

EDIT: Also, I prefer the Celebi if I win :3

The Celebi is for a special winner...Select a different pokemon that you would like. I will deliberate for the Celebi after all winners have been announced.

 

[Warped Worlds]

I remember when I first recieved Pokemon Red for christmas, it significantly improved my reading ability. I remember when I always used to mispronounce "fainting."

I would like Thorny Jr. please!

 

[Enraikou]

What I learned on pokemon about the real life is that we need to have caution when we are knowing someone because that person might be wearing a mask and behind it a selfish and lier face is living there. Yeah, im talking about Ghetis who said since the beggining of the game that all he wanted in to free pokemon, but what he always wanted is the power of controlling people to his own.
Maybe the biggest part of population on the world is selfish(that is my opnion, you can not accept it), because of the values that are assigned to us, and what the game try to (after catching zekrom/reshiram)show us is that the world can be better if we assume our true faces and respect other people.
Trying to get celebi^^
If it not celebi I really want Spikey Jr.

 

[waffles101]

I look at Pokemon as chess on steroids. Chess is mind games between you and your opponent where prediction. Pokemon is the same but with so many more possibilities. It really keeps your mind thinking and alert.
I would preferably take the ferrothorn (first one)

 

[legendarymaster]

I think Pokemon has great educational value. It teaches tolerance in Black and White. You have to respect other people's beliefs and try to see things from other's point of view. You can't just force others to do what you want, and you are not always right. Understanding each other is an important thing, there is so much misunderstanding and hate in the world. It also makes you use your brain to create new strategies, if you get into competitive battling. I think Pokemon can also really help you use your imagination and be creative, which is very important.

Trying for the Celebi, but Thorny is cool too.

 

[Shiny Mew2]

I think EV training. It teaches you patience and basic math processes, but with numbers in the 100's.

 

[Delagacii]

Pokemon. I think Pokemon teaches people to share(trading/Battling).calculate(EV).and most of all.solve problems by seeing it(elementals cycles).

I'll pick the Ferrothorn :)

 

[mikereyes]

Pokemon. I think Pokemon teaches people to share(trading/Battling).calculate(EV).and most of all.solve problems by seeing it(elementals cycles).

I'll pick the Ferrothorn :)

There are two--Thorny and R-U-Thorny

 

[Nicholas Magnum]

Pokemon as some might not see is not just a game where you defeat trainers that come by, gym leaders, the evil team and the league. pokemon is an educational game. Take my example: I'm not a native english speaker, but thanks to the languages the games are in I've become really good at english not just speaking but also reading and writing. But if you go deeper in the games you learn about EV's, IV's and those things you really implement mathematics, and in competitive battling the thing you use the most is strategy and logic.
But what pokemon games have taught me more is to be persevering and disciplined to achieve goals.

May I have Spikey Jr. please?

Black FC: 404053973922

 

[Aquadon]

Pokemon is not only a very entertaining hobby; it also has a very educational value in many fields. On face value, you could look at the type match-ups from a scientific value, with Water or Grass eroding Rock or the Ground. Even certain moves, like Toxic and Super Fang, can deal with certain percentages. But when one starts to look at it from a competitive perspective, certain Pokemon with certain moves start changing from dealing major damage to being a OHKO move, or a 2HKO move, or moves that can become those factoring Leftovers or Spikes/Stealth Rock. Dealing with a competitive aspect, management when it comes to Effort Training is vital to making the right Pokemon for battle. A major part of Pokemon trading is that of business and deal making; making the right trades and offering the right Pokemon can help you get the Pokemon you need when you need it. You can make a good deal when someone is desperate for certain Pokemon, or trade off a really good Pokemon you don’t need for something you want at the right time. It’s a whole Buy/Sell, similar to how Wall Street works. Pokemon can teach the value of good Pokemon, and the mathematics on making good Battle strategies.

Think you could spare me a Thorny if I qualify? Thank you very much.

 

[mannyfanaz]

Could I get evolved spikey?
Onto the question: I believe that pokemon is educational in several ways. First: science. Forces are used in the game and can helps kids understand things such as the laws of gravity. Why do grass knot and low kick hurt heavy mons? Mass *acceleration. Also, chlorophyll as an ability for grass mons teaches that chlorophyll is a component of plants. Also, as you mentioned, there's knowledge in the mons names. And example is charmander, charmeleon, charizard. Its a type of lizard. Also goofy things like rest helps you recover, etc. I'll get my fc ASAP.
My FC:1291 7784 0007

 

[Delagacii]

There are two--Thorny and R-U-Thorny

R U Thorny :)

 

[kingoftricks]

Why are people mostly approaching the "scientific" aspect of Pokemon? Why not the values/morals you learn from Pokemon? I'm gonna start with Pokemon B&W. It teaches us the value of true friendship, just similar to Heart Gold and Soul Silver, in B&W, Pokemon were thought to be mere tools. I find this a metaphor to the things most people nowadays take for granted these days, say nature. Maybe it is true, but with cooperation (in the game's case, true friendship), it can be saved and we can work together in mutualism (see what I did there). In the first , third, and fourth generation, and simply every Pokemon game there is,it teaches us the true meaning of confidence. To believe in yourself, that no obstacle can truly stand in our way as long as you have the right people and friends around you. This teaches parents a good lesson as well, to believe that (in the right time), their children can be responsible enough to start a journey of their own.
*I'd like Thorny please, thank you. :)
And I forgot, good luck on your teaching! :D

 

[Mr_br_kill]

I would say it has a fair bit of math (damage calcs or keeping track of evs for example)
It also teachs stuff about plants, (Cyliphile for example)
Teachs strategy and prediction
Some Pokedex entreies do talk about science and animal behavior ( example they saw many birds live in flocks and maygrate)
Black and White teaches seasons
It also touches apon breeding... But don't tell youg kids that
It Also teachs kids to adapt to unexpected situations, ( for example your oppenent gets a useful crit or your stone edge misses)
Finally it teaches kids to respect one and other and animals

I would like a thorny jr. If I win please

 

[charizard is a g]

I really just want to win the special prize but if allowed I would like thorny.

Pokemon is awesome, that is a fact. Many people do not know how awesome pokemon really is or how beneficial it could be. Pokemon has many uses. It could teach you how to read, be patient, strategy, logical thinking (puzzles). The thing I remember the most about pokemon being useful is that there was a question about it on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". It was not a high ranking question but it was a question none the less. Pokemon helped a guy win a lot of money in a short period of time. How many other video games do you know that can do this? The answer is none. No other game could or will do that for anyone. Back to topic, What can pokemon teach you. I think the real question is what can't pokemon teach you? It can't teach you, ya can't think of anything. It teaches you about love, hate, life, death, friends, enemies, math, english, history, science, technology, agriculture, everything. It really does teach you everything. It teaches you math by if you EV train pokemon you must add up the total number of EVs. The box system is technology and the pokeball has to be technology too. Science comes into effect with the windmills in some of the games or the ships. Growing berries teaches you about agriculture while eggs teach you about life and how to take care of a new life. Having pokemon in your team teaches you how to treat other people to make friends so that they will always be there for you. All of the puzzles teach you to think logically and the battles make you have strategy. Your rival teaches you about health competition and gives you a drive to get better. Trying to beat the Elite Four gives you a goal and teaches you to always go after your goals. One of the best things that pokemon can teach you is dedication. You must be dedicated to pokemon in order to beat the game. Many people give their lives to pokemon in order to beat the game, in order to be the best.

Thank you and I hope that you had fun reading this. I don't really care if I win. I really just had fun writing that.

 

[XEELT]

Okay, well as seen in this many times, it actually helped me with spelling, I forget the word, but In FireRed I got to a part with my vocab work and I was the only one to get that word right on the quiz! I forget the word ;-; however It taught me Strategy, and predictions, coming from the very competative community, I went from teh worst to the best at pokemon really fast... I used to be horrible at strategy, and due to pokemon's strategy, I won $200 in a local magic card tournament... I also learned theres more to things than just full out going for brute force and trying to out strength everyone else.

If I win at all I'd like a thorny. :) (need ferrothorn for my new team :) (relaxed one) Nice job since you dont like RnG! I don't have the patience to not RnG.

 

[RuneJack]

I believe that all the pokemon games have an underlying message that though diversity and acceptance of many different peoples and cultures, any challenge we meet together can be overcome. For instance there are 649 different pokemon with seven-teen unique types that have been weaved together.
When a normal player starts their journey they don’t just choose one type of pokemon to make a team of they pick a variety. As the player continues playing they meet the gym leaders and elite 4 that have just one pokemon type. They use because it has a meaning to them, but the player with their diverse team always triumphs and more of the world is opened for them to explore, thus being able to meet even more future teammates.


Either: Spikey Jr. or Thorny Jr.

 

[Name]

Hmm... well, I'd have to say that one thing would be that you become more open-minded in general. Even disregarding Black and White's aesop, each generation you're tossed into a new world and you often don't have your old Pokemon to rely on. You need to try something new, which is always nice. Black and White were especially good with this, even if it angered some people. Although that's not so much as an educational value as a life value in general.

I do have to say that when I learned about metamorphosis it clicked instantly because the concept was already deeply rooted in me as that thing that Charmander did. That's a bit specific, though... jeez, I need to stop second-guessing myself.

 

[tz1010]

Hi I'm new here so would really appreciate a Spike jr.

On to the question, I believe the most educational aspect from pokemon will come from the mathematics involved. Calculating EV/IVs require the basic mathematical knowledge which can seriously improve younger player's foundation in maths.

Also working with probabilty, e.g. the chance of a hit or KO and then making a decision based upon the % trains the brain to tackle problems from a statistical point of view and will help with logical choice making.

 

[Lunacy Giant]

I think you mentioned it in the first post, but pokemon has the potentiality to expose individuals to species that they might not have heard of. I think the best representation of this is Relicanth, who is based off of the Coelacanth. Which is the oldest unevolved species that still exists today. Also, several pokemon serve as physical representations for certain cultures. Some of the ones that jump out are Xatu (a display of several ancient South American cultures), Cofagrigas (who obviously represents aspects of the ancient Egyptians and their burial process), as well as Escavalier (middle ages, chivalry, etc.) and several others. Both of these might serve as
vehicles toward introducing younger individuals to these concepts.

 

[felix]

Let me bump this a bit...

I've heard colors, names, and breeds....But what potential lies in the educational value?

See, I'm an aspiring teacher and trying to figure out new ways of learning and/or hidden learning is a passion. Any other ideas guys/girls?

Keep posting...If I get enough good answers I will increase the cap

Well, if you don't mind me asking, what type of teacher are you wanting to be? I can see pokemon being more useful in things like biology than it would be on things like geometry.

Also I would like thorny.

 

[mikereyes]

Well, if you don't mind me asking, what type of teacher are you wanting to be? I can see pokemon being more useful in things like biology than it would be on things like geometry.

Also I would like thorny.

I'm working towards a degree in Spanish on the way to a Master's in bilingual education. Currently aiming on 6th grade. At this point (nowadays) algebra is getting introduced to kids as well as a generally higher level of reading (full novels, etc.,). Algebra is used in many of pokemon's equations because of all the unknown aspects to the standard calculation, that is to say something like natures, EV/IV's, and damage effectiveness. I can just imagine as a teacher, simplifying a damage calc and having a student figure out the Pokemon (X and Y) involved. It's a far out theory but it's one I aim to apply.

In terms of literacy, even in terms of biology, the effect is obvious. As you so generously pointed out in the Vulpix example, names hold hidden meanings to children. When I took Earth Science, Onyx was my main man when I had that Onix stone in my hand.

Strategy and Logic is also a viable learning experience in Pokemon. The amount of thoughts that run through a one's mind in a competitive battle (online for some or Elite Four and Red for others) is an amazing thing. It requires a knowledge of both pokemon, possible movesets, and possible switches. Must I speak of how many times my Celebi T-wave'd at a Swampert here on Smogon because of my forecast of the switch. Only didn't work once, and it was against someone who had already fell victim to it before.

On a side note, to those who are arguing that Pokemon teaches morals/ethics, let me point something out to you. This is a game that seems to condone and/or shows:
1. An 11/12/13 year old leaving home with a baby guardian to explore an extremely dangerous world.
2. Single mothers. In every generation but one (3rd) our Pokemon Mothers were single housekeepers. The one generation that blessed us with a father also had him several cities away running a gym, a pretty sucky one at that. "Really Dad, Zigzagoon's????"
3. As much as financial transactions are part of Pokemon, Pokemon exemplifies bullying in many ways. First of all, all the trainers in the beginning are woefully underpowered and we beat them to shreds AND take their lunch money. And by the end of the game we are beating people for their mortgage payments!
4. Pokemon still does exemplify some type of animal violence. Look at Lillipup fighting another Lillipup, that is totally illegal in the U.S, just ask Mike Vick.
5. Breeding.....Aren't we a little too young to know about that? I know the day care guy "has no idea where [the egg] came from", but I think kid's pick up on this. Not to mention we force the Pokemon to breed, much like established marriages many years ago and in other countries.
6. To pick up on #5, Ditto is a complete whore. Jus' sayin.

However, digressing from that I do understand that all these are done with good intentions and the game is much more fun with these aspects. And yes, Pokemon also does have some ethical learning value, however the counter-argument must always be addressed.

I will post more winners later and if I receive more good ideas I will extend the cap. Sorry for the ramble--I'm a bit passionate.

 

[Daena]

On a side note, to those who are arguing that Pokemon teaches morals/ethics, let me point something out to you. This is a game that seems to condone and/or shows:

I just wanted to add to your list the point of gambling in order to get certain things (items, Pokemon) which aren't available otherwise. It was encouraged to use the slot machines in most of the games until they switched the slots out for Voltorb Flip in the non-Japanese release of HGSS -- because someone had protested the use of slot machines in such a game. It's interesting to see that eventually people attempted to address this issue. I can see what was a bit off about teaching kids how to gamble, but I personally enjoy both the slots and Voltorb Flip in these games. :D

In Voltorb flip you no longer have to buy chips in order to play, so you can just play an infinite amount of times for fun without ever paying for it. I suppose this makes it less like gambling. You can't rely on luck to win this game often. It plays similar to a mini version of Minesweeper, and you use logic to solve the puzzles through process of elimination and simple addition. Eventually the levels increase in complexity and once in a while you aren't given enough information to solve through logic ...and have to just guess. Still, it definitely requires a little more thinking in order to do well in it compared to the slots (in my opinion at least).