Tell me, and I will forget.

Show me and I may remember.

Involve me, and I will understand.

Confucius

I would like to talk about learning games particularly about a new wave of educational learning games - LARP (Life Action Role-Playing) - games in Education.

Educational Larp (edu-larp) is a form of spontaneous, co-creative, active learning. Edu-larp utilizes interactive experiences embedded within conceptual narratives that inspire students to enjoy and retain their lessons. The unique experience of role-playing enhances student engagement, social skills, interest, and mastery of scholastic subject matter using multimedia as a great tool of doing it.

https://nordiclarp.org/2015/03/04/learning-by-playing-larp-as-a-teaching-method/

During the LARP:

•          Students will learn how to assess real-world situations through evaluating their known and unknown variables.

•          Students will enhance their research skills as they learn how to acquire the knowledge and information they lack for that they can use different kinds of multimedia which they have.

•          Students will improve their argumentation and public speaking skills by crafting and performing their final presentation.

To have an idea what is LARP there is one of them: Starbucks Marketing Role Play

 http://educade.org/lesson_plans/starbucks-marketing-role-play

In this activity, students explore business promotions through a math-focused lens. A constructivist process serves as an in-depth, mathematical evaluation of a simple Starbucks business promotion. Students collaborate in self-assigned “marketing” groups, performing in depth research and problem solving in order to argue to the “CEO” (teacher) why this promotion will benefit the company. As the solution is not obvious, groups will approach the situation from different angles and achieve different results, but all students will eventually identify and create a math problem they must then solve. This requires students to intuit and derive the information themselves usind different kinds of multimedia.

To sum up, Edu-Larping, learning games, role-playing games, simulations and other tabletop games are all longer-form games that require an investment of time. However, the benefits are immeasurable, since these games instill confidence and self-esteem in their players, students find the information by themselves using all the multimedia things they creacte their own knowledge which they need and, they also improve social skills through teamwork, and reconnect with childhood play. In particular, analog games appear to be especially effective in helping struggling learners or those with disabilities. LARP helps children to use digital media, link text, diagrams, tables, datasets, video documentation, audio recordings, and other media across all subject areas, making their knowledge by themselves and using it later in their lives.

More information and video examples you can find here:

LARP for future teachers – presentation - https://www.slideshare.net/ewelinajanowiak39/larp-life-action-roleplaying-games-in-education

http://www.larping.org/larp-articles/larp-education/

http://www.gamesandlearning.org/2016/02/18/the-world-according-to-edu-larps-the-analog-learning-games/