buddhafrog
First Post
I've heard people mention from time to time the possibility of using D&D in the classroom but haven't heard about any direct experience. Has anyone done this? How did it go?
I mention this because I am using D&D in four different ESL (English as a Second Language) classes of 1-3 students each. I'm getting paid way too much just to DM D&D. I feel very fortunate.
I've been teaching ESL in Asia off and on for many years. A couple months ago I thought it would be a good idea to start playing D&D with my 9 y/o son. My solution was to have my son join two of his friends who were both advanced 6th grade ESL students of mine. We play D&D 4e twice a week for our class. I hadn't played D&D in almost 20 years, and in my research to learn 4e and relearn how to DM, I stumbled across this site. It has made my job so much easier. (BIG BIG THANKS)
Where I live, boys play computer games every chance they get. I found it interesting that these boys loved playing D&D much more than their computer games because it was more immersive. These boys *loved* D&D - it was the only thing they talked about. The other classes heard the boys talking about D&D, heard the strange music coming from our room, saw the maps and miniatures, and were dying to know what the heck this was all about.
This week, I'm going to start DM'ing for 3 more classes, but only once a week on Fridays. I get paid far too much to teach ESL as a tutor. Now, I'm getting that money to DM. Nice.... and I'm their favorite teacher, of course.
It isn't ideal. I only teach for an hour a class -- difficult to try and keep a session down to 60 minutes. I teach ESL kids, so I have to use varying degrees of basic language and concepts. For two of the new classes, I will be curtailing the rules significantly to make it easier (the other two classes are straight 4e). I've thought of using an easier system, but I don't want to learn/run two different systems. I'm still learning 4e myself!
B/c I'm getting paid for this, I've really went the extra mile as a DM and made many handouts for history, letters, magic items, etc. The kids have loved it and it has opened up many ESL opportunities. Of course, the kids want to understand what's happening, so they are studying their D&D vocabulary and handouts, and they know they must role play. They also know they must be doing well on their tests and homework or no D&D. Great incentive.
So far it's been a really awesome experience. I'm a little nervous about trying to run 4 different campaigns, but it's worth the work, for sure.
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I want to give you a little info to understand how hard these kids study and how much pressure they have. Where I live, the average family spends 1/3 of their income on education for their children ($900 of $2800 every month). That's a lot of money every month (but this tutor isn't going to complain). When a kid goes to middle school, he will probably study until 5pm and then go to academies or tutors until 9 or 10pm. They do this on Saturdays too, and often for a few hours on Sunday. High school students live a very miserable life - the worst is seniors. Literally, they are allowed to leave school before midnight only once Mon-Fri. Yeah, they study from 7am to 12 midnight. They study every Sat and Sun from 7am to 6pm, and then many will go to academies/tutors after this. I'm not exaggerating. Crazy, no? This is all focused on preparing for their one test to enter university. The better your test, the better your school. Where I live, your school determines your success much more than what you do at that school..... this little description of a student's life here also helps explain why I enjoy DM'ing for these students. They need to live a little, have some time to be creative and feel free. D&D it great for this!
I mention this because I am using D&D in four different ESL (English as a Second Language) classes of 1-3 students each. I'm getting paid way too much just to DM D&D. I feel very fortunate.
I've been teaching ESL in Asia off and on for many years. A couple months ago I thought it would be a good idea to start playing D&D with my 9 y/o son. My solution was to have my son join two of his friends who were both advanced 6th grade ESL students of mine. We play D&D 4e twice a week for our class. I hadn't played D&D in almost 20 years, and in my research to learn 4e and relearn how to DM, I stumbled across this site. It has made my job so much easier. (BIG BIG THANKS)
Where I live, boys play computer games every chance they get. I found it interesting that these boys loved playing D&D much more than their computer games because it was more immersive. These boys *loved* D&D - it was the only thing they talked about. The other classes heard the boys talking about D&D, heard the strange music coming from our room, saw the maps and miniatures, and were dying to know what the heck this was all about.
This week, I'm going to start DM'ing for 3 more classes, but only once a week on Fridays. I get paid far too much to teach ESL as a tutor. Now, I'm getting that money to DM. Nice.... and I'm their favorite teacher, of course.
It isn't ideal. I only teach for an hour a class -- difficult to try and keep a session down to 60 minutes. I teach ESL kids, so I have to use varying degrees of basic language and concepts. For two of the new classes, I will be curtailing the rules significantly to make it easier (the other two classes are straight 4e). I've thought of using an easier system, but I don't want to learn/run two different systems. I'm still learning 4e myself!
B/c I'm getting paid for this, I've really went the extra mile as a DM and made many handouts for history, letters, magic items, etc. The kids have loved it and it has opened up many ESL opportunities. Of course, the kids want to understand what's happening, so they are studying their D&D vocabulary and handouts, and they know they must role play. They also know they must be doing well on their tests and homework or no D&D. Great incentive.
So far it's been a really awesome experience. I'm a little nervous about trying to run 4 different campaigns, but it's worth the work, for sure.
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A STUDENT'S LIFE:
I want to give you a little info to understand how hard these kids study and how much pressure they have. Where I live, the average family spends 1/3 of their income on education for their children ($900 of $2800 every month). That's a lot of money every month (but this tutor isn't going to complain). When a kid goes to middle school, he will probably study until 5pm and then go to academies or tutors until 9 or 10pm. They do this on Saturdays too, and often for a few hours on Sunday. High school students live a very miserable life - the worst is seniors. Literally, they are allowed to leave school before midnight only once Mon-Fri. Yeah, they study from 7am to 12 midnight. They study every Sat and Sun from 7am to 6pm, and then many will go to academies/tutors after this. I'm not exaggerating. Crazy, no? This is all focused on preparing for their one test to enter university. The better your test, the better your school. Where I live, your school determines your success much more than what you do at that school..... this little description of a student's life here also helps explain why I enjoy DM'ing for these students. They need to live a little, have some time to be creative and feel free. D&D it great for this!
You could easily tweak it to be an agility roll or something for intiative...or actually break out the d20s like D&D.
