School and Community Fall 2022

BY MATTHEW PIERCE MATHENEY V, MILLER R-2, 2023 MO TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALIST H ow do we inspire creativity, problem-solving and positive social communication in our students? In the classroom, it takes intense

communication. The core of roleplaying is generating a narrative where each player has influence over the story arc. And, there is something socially forgiving about controlling a character in a game. I have noticed that students who are reluctant to communicate with peers are more likely to do so if it involves interacting with a story through the lens of an imaginary character. One downside of roleplaying for beginning gamers is that the possibilities are literally endless. It can be overwhelming for students to experience full creative control of a story, resulting in the proverbial “blank canvas syndrome.” However, there are ways to help students surpass this initial difficulty. You may have heard of Dungeons & Dragons as the primary entryway into roleplaying games, but I rarely encourage people to start with D&D. Simpler styles, such as the “Roll for Shoes” system, place the focus on the story and the creativity of player actions over the mechanics of the game. I will often begin the year by filling the role of gamemaster (head storyteller) in an adventure that includes every member of the club. The primary goal of this session is to validate and encourage each student’s contributions while modeling how to serve as the gamemaster. Students are more willing to step into the gamemaster role if they have a model to follow. If you are hesitant, start simple. Choose a familiar scenario and conflict, ask students to interact with that scenario, then interpret the consequences of their inevitably wild ideas. As a teacher, your logic and experience will be more than enough to guide your players. I once had a student decide to cast an illumination spell on his friend’s helmet to light up a dark dungeon. I promptly informed them that the illumination spell worked… and his friend was instantly blinded from the radiant light issuing from the helmet he was currently wearing . I’ll let you imagine how the rest of that story went. This is the tip of the gaming iceberg, and the skills students learn go well beyond those previously discussed. Students can play solo-journaling games to work on writing, design games to apply their knowledge of probability and statistics, or write instructions for games as an entry exercise in computer coding. Gaming is not the only gateway activity leading to the development of valuable skills. Such activities are plentiful and well within reach, if only we choose to recognize their potential as worthwhile learning experiences for our students.

searching, and not insignificant finagling, to find and create tasks nurturing all three skills. I would never suggest that educators stop that search. It is too important a quest. Rather, I propose we widen our perspectives regarding what embodies a “worthwhile learning experience.” Then, we can utilize activities outside of the usual academic topics as mediums for teaching those skills. In my own experience, tabletop gaming is one such activity. Before I begin, I feel obligated to reveal my biases towards gaming. I grew up in a gaming family. Every gathering was inundated with classic games: hearts, rummy, chess, cribbage, backgammon and more. As a kid, I focused on the competitive aspects of these games. When I was older, I realized that games were my family’s way of reconnecting. Chats we held across the gaming table rarely focused on the game itself. Instead, they were about sharing our lives with each other. In college, I found a related passion: game design. I quickly discovered that excellent game design is directly tied to math, which happened to be one of my majors. It also provided a new context to my personal gaming history and a great way to share my passion with other people. Later, I had the opportunity to co-found a tabletop gaming club at Miller R-2 High School. This has revealed to me yet another perspective on gaming; that of an educator. It has been a joy to see how gaming naturally cultivates those essential skills in my students. Problem solving is inherent in tabletop games, and the key is the need to optimize within constraints. Every card or board game places restrictions on the player, as does any real-life problem. In order to win, the players must work within the rules to produce an optimal result. This can include considering a multitude of possible outcomes, evaluating risk and reading the intentions of other people. In this way, games mirror real-life and the problem solving required to navigate it. Consider, for example, choosing classes for college. How do you optimize that situation? What variables do you need to consider? Majors? Minors? Prerequisites? Class time? Instructor quality? You are playing a game, just one with real consequences. Roleplaying games are some of the best activities in existence for creative thinking and social

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