The problem / intent

A task which is too hard to solve will frustrate learners, and often achieve no positive impact. On the other hand, a task which is too easy will lead to disengagement.

The context

This is an extreamely general pattern, yet it is still compact enough to be immediately applicable in many different scenarios.

Mathematical content	can be any
Learning and instruction	Need to identify the Rationale for the use of the game.
Educational context	Need to identify level of teacher support to be required by the game. This dependent upon the type of students game is to support and nature or  type of learning activity
Games	Can be of any genre
Interface + interaction	Interface must support feedback and control. Both will vary dependent upon the skill level of the intended students.
Software design	Game must support Customisation

The pattern

Match tasks to learner / player skills. Note that these skills change from one learner to the next, even in the same group, and - hopefully - for the same learner over time.

Probably the best way to achieve this is by having an attentive teacher set individual tasks. Obviously, this is rarely possible. Some alternatives are -

• Abilities based task assignment

• Game levels: progressing from one skill level to the next is a goal in itself.
  

• Challenge exchange: let peers set the skill level.
  

This pattern is strongly related to Vygotsky's notion of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The space between what a learner can achieve independently, and what she can achieve under the guidance of teachers or more capable peers. According to Vygotsky, this is where effective learning occurs. Another way to frame this pattern would be: 'Place tasks in the learner's ZPD'.

Related patterns

Leads to:
Follows:
Elaborates:
Elaborated by: Abilities based task assignment, Challenge exchange, Game levels

Notes

The Zone of Proximal Development is a cornerstone of Vygotsky's work, and has inspired many subsequent theoretical developments, such as Rogoff's Cognitive apprenticeship model.
It is well documented:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_proximal_development
• http://www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/works/1933/play.htm
• L. S. Vygotsky ( 1980 / 1930) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes, Harvard University Press