On my Passion Projects page, I talk a little about my goal to one day include roleplaying games (RPG) into my classroom. This dream is stemmed from my love of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), and while I do recognize some of the cons of bringing D&D specifically into the classroom (even for older grade levels, like high school), I wanted to take this opportunity to point out the pros, the positives.

First, let’s talk about the cross-curricular aspect, the many subjects RPG can cover. My immediate thought always go to English Language Arts — RPG is a great tool for improving storytelling skills, and it would teach students everything that goes into creating dynamic characters! Then you have your next obvious subject, Arts Education — specifically, I picture using the storytelling lessons in conjunction with Drama, but why not also incorporate Visual Arts (drawing character portraits, creating scenery backgrounds for story settings)? Social Studies is another one, when we’re talking about the history of the land and the politics of the city, and Grade 7 (in British Columbia) is when students are learning about ancient civilizations — there is a section in the D&D player’s handbook that talks about Greek gods and goddesses! (It doesn’t mean the RPG has to be D&D-related, but the handbook may be a helpful tool.) With character creation in D&D, character races typically come with “Common” and another language of choice — the languages are fantasy-based, but you can adapt these so that “Common” is English (if you are in an English-based classroom) and the choices can be French, Spanish, and any other languages the students know in real life and/or want to learn more about. A little bit of Career Education can be added as well, when we’re looking at different roles of each character (we don’t need 4 fighters in one group, for example; someone usually takes on the role of the healer, and perhaps there can be a character who uses brains instead of brawn to solve problems). Finally — but maybe not finally, if anyone reading this can think of more subjects to include — we have Mathematics: probability (dice rolls), financial literacy (buying supplies), coordinates (map of the story setting), and any other operations/problems (to use as puzzles for within the story — “If you can find the slope of this hill, you may enter the Temple of Treasures.”)

Next, a key aspect of the BC curriculum redesign: the addition of core competencies — communication, thinking, and personal/social. There are sub-categories within these three areas, for a total of 6, so I will go over each one individually (using examples from the core competencies PDF, “I can” statements):

  • Communication– Students would be connecting and engaging with others (“actively listening” to their fellow classmates/players) and collaborating with their team to plan their next move (working to “achieve a common goal”). There’s even the potential for recounting and reflecting on the experience — students can keep an RPG journal about the highlights of the story they just experienced.
  • Creative Thinking– Students would be given opportunity to come up with their own stories/mini adventures (“generating ideas based on their interests”, and “through play”; this can be “developed over time”). There’s potential for research projects — if they wanted to learn more about pirates, for example, to create an authentic story/adventure for their peers or to develop a dynamic character. And, because RPGs are typically dependent on dice rolls or other variables, it would require students to develop their flexibility (“making their ideas work with constraints” or “change what they’re doing”).
  • Critical Thinking– Students would need to analyze evidence throughout a story, to get to the next chapter (look at clues “from all angles and perspectives”), and they can question non-player characters (NPCs) for more information (“asking open-ended questions”, “gathering information” that’s pertinent to move the story along). Much like the communication section, with the idea of an RPG journal, students can track what they’re doing (“monitor their progress and adjust their actions”).
  • Positive Personal & Cultural Identity– Students would be creating a character, and (in the beginning) you could have them create a character that is similar to themselves. In D&D, an important piece of the character creation process is choosing a background, which involves a character’s personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws (“identifying different groups they belong to”, “identifying personal values”, “identifying individual characteristics” — good and bad!, and “identifying attributes and skills”).
  • Personal Awareness & Responsibility– Students would be working on personal skills while playing. Although RPGs are a social game, each character is still unique — just like we all are in life! They would be working on their self-determination (being able to “advocate for their ideas”, “celebrate their efforts and accomplishments) and their self-regulation (“persevere through challenges”, “take ownership of their goals”, “recognize their emotions”). It’s also important to incorporate mental health into teaching, giving students the tools they need to play without taking situations personally (allowing them to “use strategies to find peace in stressful times”).
  • Social Responsibility– Students would be working as a team — in small groups of maybe 4-5 — to accomplish the goals set in place for the story/adventure. They first need to learn what it means to contribute in a team (how they can be “part of a group”), how to solve problems peacefully (“consider alternatives”, “evaluate strategies”), and value diversity (“demonstrate respectful and inclusive behaviour”). RPGs are not typically competitive in nature; they are meant to foster relationships.

Finally, just a quick note from someone who has been playing off-and-on for two years now (only because my schedule keeps getting in the way!) … roleplaying has boosted my confidence and has helped me learn more about myself. I typically create characters that are similar to myself, but I’ve gone out of my comfort zone a couple times and created a persona that is mostly not like me, just to see where my personal boundaries are (like I usually play a Cleric, but maybe I can play a Rogue again in the future if my group needed because I tried it once and it wasn’t horrible).

I don’t have all the ins-and-outs of how I want to tackle this project — I know it needs to be implemented delicately, in a way that is appropriate for school and also educational (not just for the sake of having a fun time in class). I’m confident everything I’ve addressed here justifies giving this project a chance, as long as I do further research and take away any element that may upset students/parents/administrators.