Roleplaying Games in the Classroom: Building Literacy through Action
Summary:
This seminar will address how both commercial and student-created tabletop and electronic Roleplaying Games can be utilized in classrooms and enrich literacy skills in ELA and ESL classrooms.
Description:
The presenters will report on data collected from practitioner-based research where secondary students responded to literature through the creation of their own tabletop RPGs. Findings will discuss the power of language and word play as language ownership, how popular culture can effectively infuse with classical literature and ELA for functional literacy skills, how electronic RPGs (video games) can be used practically in classrooms as a tool to investigate protagonists and literary archetypes, and how students can build on their understanding and critical thinking through creative (re)construction of texts through exploratory lessons. Additionally, the audience will receive lesson plans used during the study and learn how to recreate the lesson in their own classes, bringing gaming and RPGs in the classroom to enhance student motivation, investment, and learning.