A group of students were selected last term to participate in Dungeons and Dragons as part of the REC intervention and support program. The game is a great way to facilitate learning for students by using mental maths to quickly calculate the outcomes of the roll of the dice, and literacy to create characters and stories to share with the group. There is plenty of opportunity for social skills, as it involves constant teamwork and negotiation where students must put the needs of the group ahead of their own. There are leadership aspects involved as well. Each week, a different student takes on the role of the Dungeon Master – the person who runs the game and tells the story using a map and characters that they have created.
Here’s what participant Ceejay had to say:
Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing tabletop game about using imagination and thinking skills to overcome challenges, there is a lot of focus and teamwork. I enjoy being able to have creative input and create what I want in the game. One of the best parts is connecting through the use of needing to team up and work together. It is not the kind of game where one person wins, we either all win together or all lose together.
