Job Discussion Forums

[ChinaMovieMagic]

Seeking feedback from folks regarding the use of RPGs in the classroom.


Use of audio/Internet w/MU*s?
>>MU*'s are played interactively in real time with other players from around the world.<<

Selection from http://phillips.personal.nccu.edu.tw/rpg/eflrpg.html
(for full article and other stuff, check out this ESLForum>>China>>Job-Related>>Promoting Change in China's Classes? (Dec 13))

>>METHODOLOGY FOR RPGS IN CONVERSATION CLASS

My own primary experience with using RPGs in the EFL classroom has been with conversation students. For their initial exposure to the method of playing RPGs, I decided a system in the Fantasy genre would be ideal. The game system I originally chose for my class was Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (the system was later abandoned as being too complicated for the immediate purposes of my students but it served as a model for what followed). In hindsight, I would recommend that the teacher considering using classroom RPGs use a different system: Call of Chthulhu, Fringeworthy, Ghostbusters, and Star Wars are all excellent for the beginner. Very basic systems which may be appropriate for lower-level language classes include the Basic Dungeons & Dragons Set, Dragon Quest, and Hero Quest.<<

[ShapeSphere]

LMAO. You're getting funnier with every post ChinaMovieMagic.

Dungeons & Dragons in the classroom! Chinese students can't even remember everyday vocabulary, so what use would the words dragon, sword, goblin, etc., be?

Chinese student A: "I pick my nose and flick my magic bogey at the dragon."
Chinese student B: "I'm using my magic mobile phone."
Chinese student C: "I'm casting sleep spell."
Chinese student D: "Don't bother - we're all asleep anyway."

[ChinaMovieMagic]

RE:
>>Chinese students can't even remember everyday vocabulary, so what use would the words dragon, sword, goblin, etc., be?<<

NOTE...that paper was based upon experiences w/CHINESE students...
"The following is an early draft of a paper presented to the Tenth National Conference on English Teaching and Learning in the Republic of China - 15 May 1993. The full paper has been published in the Proceedings (Taipei: Crane Publishing, Ltd., 1994, 625-648."

Brian David Phillips
Department of English
National Chengchi University

A brain-based pedagogy realizes that when students use their IMAGINATIONS (check out the Journal of Imagination in Language Learning on the Web)...then learning dynamics are stimulated...and can even be measured w/technology...as well as by the teacher--seeing bright eyes and bushy tails...

[merlin]

The idea isn't as far out as the fact that I actually had a student describe a lesson by a teacher at another school and it sounded like he was doing exactly this. The description of books with pictures of devils on them, funny dice and useless vocabulary ... It's hard to describe the feeling of - "What is this kid talking about?... Hold on, wait a minute. .. No way... hahahaha."

Well, it was a fun 15 minutes making fun of the guy. The born again Christian didn't think it was funny, though. He wanted the name of the teacher and the school and wrote both down for some reason. I don't think it was because he liked the idea.