I read this comic, and I got me thinking.
"Is what the character Katie is doing with her class,
- a good thing that will foster interrest in creative thinking, literacy, mathmatics, history, etc. in her students?
- a bad thing that will distract her students from things they should be doing, like their formal studies, homework, social activities, sports, etc.?
I know that this board is going to be biased, but what do people think?
Good idea. Definitely. :D
It totally depends on the kid. There are so many different ways that kids learn and absorb information, and for some of them (like mine, who always has to know why he should spend his time on something) giving a practical situation in which math, history, vocabulary, and problem solving are used would really help them feel like what they're doing is relevant. (An often ignored problem in formal schooling.) For others, the deviation from the already established "rules" that they've been working so hard to learn would cause them to emotionally short circuit.
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My parents encouraged my interest in D&D for the very reasons mentioned in the original post.
My mom was a teacher, and she recognized the benefits of the game. My dad, a research chemist at the time, felt the same way. They couldn't believe that someone had created a game that motivated their child to actively seek knowledge in so many areas.
That's saying something, since this was back in the early 80's when people were starting to worry about the "evil Satanic game that enourages kids to commit suicide blah blah blah."
Were I an elementary school teacher, and I was sure I wouldn't be fired for it, I'd use it as a teaching tool in a heartbeat.
I've already taught my 7-year old the basics of the game.
To say i am profoundly dyslexic, is a little like saying 'some people live in london'. I literally couldn't read much more than 'the cat sat on the mat'(in truth, i couldn't even read that, i just recognised the sentence and cheated pretending that i was reading it.) until i was 12ish.
I am also a little bit lazy by nature. A bad combination to be honest. Learning to read was very, very difficult and i didn't have a reason to want to try a lot of the time.
I had started to play wargames and roleplaying games very early (7ish), they didn't help much but they did mean that i was atleast trying when i was at home.
Then at 12, a combination of three influences came together.
1. most importantly, i went to a new specialist school which made use of a system called 'Icons'. Icons gave me a tool to help decode written language.
2. I started playing vastly more RPG games and wargames through school clubs. This lead to me reading game books and magazines during the evenings in my dorm as my language skills blossomed.
3. I discovered terry pratchett and started read his work, as my reading improved.
Within six months i was reading as expected of someone my age and within a year i was consistantly reading at a level of some a year or more older than me. That trend continued to the end of my schooling.
So yes, i think what the character is doing is an exilent idea. Though probably only for children at a primary level.
So . . .
As we all need to get involved in the extra-curricular programs at schools an get kids running D&D games! :D
In my community, there is an after school activity for D&D at the Junior High and Senior High level. It brings some kids together to play but it isn't well organized. My daughter tried it out and here's what she got out of it...
1. The teacher held 2-3 meetings with everyone interested in order to lay down the basic rules, divide into groups and teach the basic mechanics of the game.
2. She was assigned the kids the teacher didn't want. She offered to DM because there were a lot of students interested in playing. She wasn't very experienced in Dming.
3. Once the group was on the way, the kids had the option of playing at the school when the teacher was playing his group or they could do it on another night at someone's home.
4. The teacher didn't get enough DM's for the amount of players which put considerable strain on my daughter. She elected to play here at home.
5. The kids formed their clicks within the group and shut out other players, trying to persuade the DM to dump the "unwanted" players.
6. Ton's of inner group fighting and backstabbing (mostly outside of the game).
7. After a while some of the other kids felt they would be better at DMing so they tried to break up the group (again the clicks mentioned above).
8. When they found out they didn't know the game as well as they thought they did they called the house asking my daughter (the DM they dumped) how to do this or how to handle that.
9. When the splinter groups fell apart, my daughter started getting calls from them wanting her to DM (since they were suddenly without one). This coming from the same kids that dumped her.
10. My observations are that most of the problems she encountered were age related for all involved, herself and the players. She hated the school thing so much that she did not return the following year.
As for it being a good or bad idea in school, I'd say as an after school activity in which the instructer dedicates himself (herself) it's fine. In the classroom, I would say "NO". My daughter continued to DM for a few friends, but that didn't last because of schedules and her trying to mix different sets of friends. It also fell apart when she got a boyfriend (as he became much more important to her (depsite my preaching about how to treat others). Now she plays solo with him and they enjoy it a lot and play frequently. She has also developed the attitude that D&D is the ONLY worthwhile game as well (which I find rather disheartening, but that's mostly an age thing I'm sure.) On a side note my daughter's cousin (another girl) gave a speech on the game and borrowed some of my Greyhawk material as props.
Do it as a replacement of standard education? Bad idea.
Do it as an extra curricular activity? Possibly a good idea.
I say possibly because there are still some folks, even ones in their 20's-40's who believe that D&D is "evil". You'd have to be pretty careful to make sure you are not going to get hung out to dry by the administration for having a D&D club.
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Do it as a replacement of standard education? Bad idea.
Do it as an extra curricular activity? Possibly a good idea.I say possibly because there are still some folks, even ones in their 20's-40's who believe that D&D is "evil". You'd have to be pretty careful to make sure you are not going to get hung out to dry by the administration for having a D&D club.
I am a parent and a teacher. Straight up, I'd be happy with my son playing D&D when he is old enough and have considered introducing him to the game myself.
In the classroom, D&D is a bad idea. Most teachers have far too much content and skills to cover already. No matter how much I love D&D, I believe it is best kept out of the classroom.
D&D as an extra-curricular activity is excellent and it offers so much to young adults developing skills they can bring back into the classroom. However, pres man is right. My school would probably oppose the game, as we have a very strong Christian element in the school.
I once had a parent refuse to allow me to teach Harry Potter to his daughter in Junior English. Christian groups can be very vocal in some schools, often for good or bad.
I'm a youth worker and as part of the provision I provide for young people I run three regular D&D groups at the youth club. Besides the recreational benefit, I justify the project with the social learning that occurs as interactions and issues are explored through role-play.