Over the past few weeks I have spent my
time just researching and collecting data on the subject of how to integrate
role-playing games (RPGs) into classrooms in a meaningful and engaging
way. Well I am happy to say that those
weeks of research and planning have paid off.
Due to my readings I am going to present two models of how one can use
RPGs in a classroom. Why two? Based on the readings I have mentioned
earlier in my blog there is a divide between simulation games and role-playing
games in classrooms. You can go back to
my previous blogs on my genius hour to be filled in on all the details, but it’ll
suffice to say that simulation games are meant to deal with real world events
with a competitive edge, while RPGs are fictional and cooperative. You can read my past posts to know why I have
a problem with these definitions. So
here I will attempt to offer an activity which tries to combine the best
aspects of simulation games and RPGs, while my second one will be a model that
can be used to try and integrate RPGs into all aspects of the classroom
throughout the school year. My hope with
this is that the first model will serve as a nice introduction to teachers,
while the second one will be a more fully integrated approach.
My first model is more of a unit long
activity designed for a grade 10 twentieth-century Canadian history class. As stated earlier it is a combination of
simulation and role-play games, designed to encourage cooperation, competition,
inform students of real world events and people, and allow students to take on
a specific role and character. The
foundation for this activity is the board game Diplomacy which
was published back in 1959. Diplomacy is a board game for ages 12
and up, and focuses on the themes of alliances, negotiations, and strategy of
World War One. I have taken a picture of
the game board, the rule book (only a 23 page manual with many examples,
illustrations, and diagrams), the pieces in the starting positions, and the individual
player maps which you can see below.
Michael, Feagan. (October 12, 2016). Diplomacy Game [Photo].
The game is broken up into 4 main turns
(diplomatic phase, order writing phase, order resolution phase, retreat and
disbanding phase) which after getting used to it may take students about 10-15
minutes to finish all 4.
This is how I would integrate this game as
both a simulation and role-playing activity into a classroom.
I would divide the students into groups based
on one of the seven countries in the game (Britain, France, Germany, etc.) and
each student would take on a specific governmental role with their own specific
responsibilities.
An example of this
would be a student in the French group being assigned the role of Head
Diplomat, it is his/her responsibility to go around and negotiate during the
diplomatic phase with the diplomats of other groups and report the progress
back to their group.
Or another good
example would be a student who has taken the role of a German general, and it
is their responsibility to write orders for the armies.
It is the teacher’s job to act as a mediator
or “gamemaster” to manage time, collect and read orders, resolve issues, and
make and enforce the game rules when necessary.
So far this is a strong simulation game, with lots of competition, a
little cooperation within groups, dealing with a real world event, and the
teacher takes on a small observational role.
Where this gets a bit more interesting is that students should not just
take on the role of diplomat or general, but rather should take on the role of
the historical character who occupied that position.
For example a student who takes on the role
of a British general is not just a British general, but rather could be playing
the role of Arthur Currie.
As part of an
assignment tied in with this activity the teacher would give the students a
historical actor who occupied the same role they are in.
Then have them research that person so that
they can present their findings to the class, but also to best embody that role
during play.
I think the best way to do
this is by using a trading card web tool such as the one found
here to highlight the background and
motivation of their historical person that they’ll play as.
Other web tools and learning objects can be
tied into this lesson as well, such as timelines.
I have gone to the effort of making a timeline
of the beginning of the war in 1914
here,
and students could potentially make their own using this tool.
Perhaps one based off of the real history of
WW1 and another based on the sequence of events of their game to help
illustrate the cause and effect of historical events.
I think this could be an excellent assignment
that integrates simulation and role-play elements into a unit while engaging students
and encouraging self-motivated research.
I think a similar activity could be continued for a grade 10 unit on
World War Two using the popular game Axis and Allies, but that’s a whole
different idea for another time.
Now I must discuss how RPGs can be
integrated into a classroom for more than just one activity or unit.
This was a hard question to find an answer, not
because there weren’t any answers, on the contrary it was the opposite.
There were so many different ways that
teachers have integrated RPGs into their classrooms.
Some teachers used them for a lesson or a
unit, much like my previous example.
Some teachers like Nix took RPG elements like characters, experience,
and loot to inject into their entire class.
Other teachers like Kade Wells took the whole system of Dungeons &
Dragons and integrated it as a classroom activity.
There are therefore a lot of different
methods of integrating RPGs into classrooms and I strongly encourage anyone who
is interested to do some research and come up with a model that works for you
and your class.
For me I would introduce
the concepts of role-playing to students through language arts and drama to
help gauge interest.
This would probably
take the form of students making characters in a fantasy setting using any of
the wonderful RPG systems that are out there.
I am personally partial to
DungeonWorld for its open
license and easy to access rules.
I
would then try to develop all of my lessons from other subjects such as math,
geography, or science to feed back into this game.
This can be done by using examples from the
game, such as probability questions for math based on dice and numbers found in
the game, or a geography lesson where students are encouraged to craft a mental
map based on places travelled in the game.
Or a simpler way of integrating it would be to offer game rewards (such
as character experience or items) for students who completed traditional math,
history, or geography work.
However, I
must state that I would try to be as flexible as possible with how it is
integrated.
I would use either the
lesson specific model discussed earlier, or the fully integrated one, it depends
on the class and what your objective is.
I hope this has been illuminating for
you all.
This project is still not quite
done yet.
I will have a TED talks on my
findings and one last post reflecting on the implications of RPGs in classrooms
to come, so keep an eye out.
No comments:
Post a Comment