Teacher resources: How I moved my RPG Curriculum online
Prelude…
INTERIOR ROLE-PLAYING GAME CLASSROOM — DAY
The sun shines through the window onto a table covered in tools, paints, small statues and building materials for miniature terrains, the likes of which are stacked about the room on boards of wood in forms of different mini biomes: forests, deserts, swamps, mountains and towns. TEACHER-GAMER, a bearded man of middle years, sits alone pondering as he watches dust motes swirl in the sun rays.
A small crystal device sits deactivated on the table. Although he feels the pull to take this device slide his fingers along it to illuminate its surface and begin consuming information from the magic web of sharing, he resists. He struggles to make a decision.
Suddenly, one of the small statues on the table animates and steps forward to address Teacher-gamer. This is GAME MASTER, barely over an inch tall, she is clad in a purple cloak, holding a staff with a falcon perched on her shoulder. Teacher-Gamer does not look surprised and we understand that she is like an advisor or voice of reason that urges him to process what he is going through and consider new perspectives.
Game Master (GM): Teacher-gamer, you are isolated to your own home and cannot continue to work with your mentees in person for Wild Mind Training. What do you do?
Teacher-Gamer (TG): Whoa! This is tough. It’s kind of what I stood for. So, you’re saying that I can’t run my off-device classes face-to-face anymore?
GM: Well, not as such for now, but you can use the magic crystal-plates the wizards of your world have created to meet up face-to-face. In other words, it does not mean you have to do nothing. There are other ways.
TG: What do you mean: like I would run classes on crystal-plates? Ugh! …but what about our maker-space, sword battles and painting sessions? I really did not see this coming…
GM: No one did, but that is the situation. And parents through their magic crystal-plates are asking you what you are going to do?
TG: I know. I am getting device messages with all different requests and I want to satisfy everyone. Some of them want me to meet in person anyway.
GM: As the wise Obi Wan Kenobi once said, “Do what you feel is right of course.”
TG: It would be very disappointing if I just stopped. And I have done some one-on-one crystal mirror sessions coaching distance mentees.
Teacher-gamer shrugs off his indecision like a wet coat he no longer wants to carry around.
TG: I will try to lead my first class where I ask all students to tune in on their magic crystals at the same time and follow it up with a magic web sharing (maybe call it a “webinar”) for other teachers.
GM: Ok, initiative has been taken!
CUT TO: MONTAGE OF TEACHER-GAMER DELIVERING ONLINE CLASSES
TG: (narrating off screen) And despite my initial hesitation, something wonderful happened and I was rewarded… the people who I committed to train were happy I showed up and facilitated the opportunity for them to stay connected. Although we all were physically separate, as we were interacting and trying new things a special resiliency bonus resulted! Even if it seemed strange or impossible- the experience led to joy for my students where otherwise they were bored, isolated and wondering what the world was turning into. In me, a deep satisfaction welled up unexpectedly.
Cautionary Tale, but in the solutionary sense of Community Sustainability and Existential Responsibility through improvising, collapse processing and taking initiative
Ugh! Going online to teach was THE last thing I wanted to do. It hasn’t been two months since I called for the Teacher-Gamer Revolution to be on tabletops, face-to-face and off screen. I was just shouting it out, there are so many pioneers that have been blazing this trail and I decided I would go all in with a book on how to do it: how to be a teacher-gamer. What a crazy timing!
The world got turned upside down on all of us. Maybe not for e-learning teachers, but for most of us who were used to going in and socializing and building on interaction, understanding body language and modeling directly in the classroom what makes a model citizen. That’s our job and it got picked up twisted around and…. well, I’m not here to vent. There’s really nothing in that for anyone.
I’m am here to add progress to the situation, to empathize with my fellow professionals and stabilize, in my own little way, the two end-users of education that matter most to our future: the student and the teacher, because their relationship is second only to that of the bond of children and their parents.
We have a huge new task and responsibility to our students. We already had one as we work on the daily to figure out how to make the difference to every child in every class. We are not like agents of a business who are playing a numbers game, hoping that the majority of the company’s products will succeed. We want every learner to succeed, and when one or more struggles… we fret, we pine and we get bent out of shape over it. These learners are not products, or numbers or future alumni to us. When they struggle, they are human beings needing help to connect, succeed and thrive.
Sure, we derive pride from hearing that one of our past students has earned success. I should hope so! But, in the moment, down in the trenches of preparing them for the future, when these children- who are growing up to become adroit, functioning adults- are under our watch, we can’t bear it if even one of them is failing.
Teaching online from home
Just as I was getting so excited about connecting teachers and students in such a special way with these robust tabletop games blended into education- and off screen, no less- BLAMO! Out of nowhere: we are sent into physical distancing. So, I get it: we have been thrown into turmoil. And we have to do what we have to do… but now that means that we have to do distance learning as well. We need teacher resources. How can I be part of the solution? How can you be part of the solution?
Many astute teachers already use an app or program with their students to keep their classes organized, post homework and exchange feedback and revisions. However, delivering entire classes and full-courses online is navigating waters we are not familiar with. If you are an e-learning teacher you just hit the jackpot. You’re ready for this, but for everyone else: we need teacher resources and we need them fast!
Well, we’re all in this together and now is the time to find the digital community. Isn’t our community already digitized?
Ten life-skills I have been modeling by going online with my classes:
- Communication: Make a new group on WhatsApp specific for Online learning— if you are doing something new, make a new group, because some parents in your old groups just don’t want to go there, so make sure to migrate people to your new Online Channel and keep your original channel (WhatsApp or whatever) clear of things that do not concern those who don’t care.
- Problem Solving: Start a Slack channel — or join one that can get your resources
- Collaboration: Find a FB group where you can share and build tools. Teacher-Gamers join us here.
- Adaptability: Zoom or Google Hangouts — what’s good for you? I am figuring out how to use Zoom and one of the best things I have done was be open to getting help — in the session by my attendees. I have learned tons from 11 year olds. The key was giving them autonomy and then dialing it back.
- Active Listening: Turn off the video feed and ask others to do the same. Then just listen to each other. It is wonderful.
- Contingency Planning: If I am going to be online trying to teach this game, then I need to try a few different tools built by people in my industry for my industry. This week I tried fantasygrounds.com (it is a VTT or Virtual Table Top) and it is taking some learning, but has great potential. I got the “ultimate” subscription for $10 USD (15$ CAD) so I could host demo users.
- Risk Assessment: Ask parents, administrators and students to get their preferences. They are much more likely to respect your decisions if they feel that you have asked them for their input.
- Protection of Spirit: Turn off devices and let your mind process everything in realtime quiet. Figure out how to find an outlet with no distinct purpose except to take a break and be with yourself for one hour a day. Some people can meditate, but most people struggle to sit with themselves and need to journal, free draw, play music, do exercise. We need to reset during waking hoursSet yourself online limits and promote it in others.
- Self-awareness: with the daily processing in number 8 above, you can better see yourself in the web of interconnected stories and the ripple effect we have when we spread worry or confidence.
- Empowerment: When we truly value ourselves we can help others to harness their personal power and inspire confidence in others to meet difficult challenges.
Moving Online: Just as Off Screen Learning was starting to trend.
For years I have been talkin’ game about getting kids off screens and onto tabletops. And everyone loves the idea even if many are skeptical that either the school won’t go for it or kids don’t have the patience. I — and a number of other teacher-gamer pioneers — have been defying these naysayers with smiles shared all around. What a pleasant surprise.
First of all, kids are learning, thriving and enjoying the process of taking role-playing games classes. Second, we — the teachers and students — have been playing role-playing games (RPGs) in schools. Just think about this: We have figured out how to justify teaching RPGs pedagogically. That is a major feat in itself. Secondly, kids love it. The same dopamine hit that we got as kids and continue to get when we play from succeeding individually and as a team to overcome a challenge has now been experienced by our students. Third of all they are learning off screen. …they were… and the new ones they were going to… Well, let’s focus on the first and second of all and see what we can do.
What is so important to understand about RPGs in Schools is the opportunity for students to develop a more complex and interesting relationship with their teachers. This is largely underestimated, not because most people do or have done the calculation, but because the calculation has barely been taken into consideration.
Schools have been trying so hard to reshuffle the classic disciplines and add new wellness elements like mindfulness, wilderness education and entrepreneurship — which are all great and I have been a great cavalier of these programs with “.b Mindfulness”, Black Forest Green and Wildlife Conservation Society, and with the LEAP. However, RPGs in Schools comes as a whole new discipline in itself and is driven by a life-skills engine. What’s not to like?! The challenge that teacher-gamers face is how to make that just as amazing online as when we can get it back on tabletop in schools when schools reopen.
And I take that challenge. I will learn how to make RPGs in Schools work no matter how it must be done, no matter which platform.
Teaching online during COVID-19/coronavirus
So my classes are 4 hours long and kids depend on me to build terrains, teach them sword fighting, build characters, paint, draw and write together. And of course play Dungeons and Dragons (we play the 3rd edition open D20 system). Suddenly, even with parents saying we will come out of self-isolation for this one thing, I have to make a decision… do I go ahead with class and risk it… or do I make sure not one person is risked in connection to my classes.
So we went online. “Ugh.” I sighed briefly, “What’s worse self-isolating or online learning?”
But wait, am I just having a brain fart from being online so much, that I am not thinking straight?
Aren’t these the adaptability, improvisation and taking initiative skills we have been playing with our characters in the game world? Doesn’t this evoke the self-awareness, empathy, and bystander awareness, skills I have been guiding these kids to develop? Of course, and when I take the challenges head on and keep trying, learners feel it. I need to keep that trust alive: in myself and in my relationship with my students.
This is the time we have to build relationships with our students in new ways. Today in my online class one of the ways I did that was by telling everyone to turn off their video feeds and just listen to each other. I gave very clear instructions and declared the order of who would go first and as each person finished, I invited the next person to speak. I did four rounds like this. And by taking my own notes as we went, I was able to reiterate what each person said before it was their turn so they could clarify something about their share and add something new.
At the very end of class they all said they had a great time and loved that even though the tech part was annoying they liked being together and sharing their work with each other.
And you know what? This was so helpful to me! I needed this reconnection myself. As they were sharing in our outro, I got blown away by how much I needed to keep that connection with my students even if it was online. It was actually refreshing and not what I expected. I will never let myself dread any work I do, it is just against my mindfulness practice, but I was near numb about it. And still I came away inspired by them and so glad we went through with it no matter the tech junk we had to go through to get started.
People are in a tough spot, everything is shifting dramatically. You may feel alone, but you are not alone. Staying connected is really the way to find new energy, even when you least expect it.
Adaptability and Convergence — RPGs blended with Webinars?
Homeschools and alternative schools have adopted alternative learning methods and may have a jump on most conventional schools, but everyone is scrambling. We all need to help build communities online to get through this. Teachers need to adapt! I need to adapt, so I am trying something I thought I would never do… I am starting a webinar to share some lesson plans that I am passionate about and I think teachers might enjoy to give students a new direction in their English classes.
The free lesson plans will be in the domain of writing. Could be journaling, professional writing, creative writing, world building, social studies, history, humanities and anything that considers and draws from personal interest and opinion.
Join the ‘webinar’ actually it will be a guerilla-style 100 person max Zoom room:
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Sunday night Mar 22, 9pm EST or 6pm PST
[aka Monday morning Mar 23, 2020 09:00 AM Singapore].
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/vJUpce-gqD8oaHXj2VzRfo3czlA2-JajXQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Come watch me improvise and cheer me on!
In the name of the Teacher-Gamer Revolution
I also started a slack channel called Moving Online where I am hoping teacher resources can be shared to get through these strange times. This is not a channel to get freaky about the virus, but a place to offer support for English teachers.
We are hearing stories everyday about how devastating and amazing this unpredictable situation has moved our planet. Let’s do this journey together.
Join the SLACK CHANNEL: https://join.slack.com/t/teachergamerr-uma4168/shared_invite/zt-d0065lo6-Wa4LQb81B6vWwVM2l1EM6Q?fbclid=IwAR3Mz7ZB1jWpfW5JEhKOa96HJaNQdGvFdYMmlD4e9HhlI-61X5KFbmCl67Y
#teachergamer #wildmindtraining #rpgsinschools #teachergamerhandbook
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Zachary Reznichek is a life-skills trainer and teacher-gamer running courses between North America, Europe and South East Asia. But globally online for now.
Instagram: @teachergamerhandbook
For more on teacher-gamers visit www.wildmindtraining.com or write to contact@teachergamer.com
