Creative Learning in Schools

By Travis Caughey

Ms. Sonja Linman

Spring 2015

Teachingistheongoingstrugglebetweenteacherandstudent.Thereisastruggle
betweenteachingstudentswhatisrequired,whilekeepingitfunandinteresting.Everyonelearns
indifferentwayssowhydoweusethesamemethodsofteachingforeverystudent?Whydowe
treatstudentsasthoughtheyarerobotsmovingthroughtheeducationalsystem?Ifstudents
don'tlearnwhatisbeingtaughtintheexactwayit'staughttothem,theyaretoldtheywillnot
makeitintherealworld.
Theeducationalsystemneedsacompletereboot.Teachingwhatyou
needtolearn,whilehavingfun.
Weprioritizetestscoresandstandardspushingsubjectslike
math,science,socialstudies,andlanguageoverthingslikeart,music,andtheater.Whenwe
shouldbefindingoutwhatstudentslikeandhelpingthemincorporatewhattheyenjoyintothe
subjectathand.Ifwetrytoteachandlearnfromamorecreativestancetheneveryonewouldbe
excitedforlearninganditwouldbealotsimpler.

ForthelastthreeyearsatYampahMountainHighSchooltherehasbeena

studentledcourseinDungeons&Dragons.Thecourseconsistedofstorytellingandroleplaying.
Dungeons&Dragonsmightseemlikeagamethatdoesn'trelatetoanysubjectinschool,butit
takesstudentstoaworldwheretheimpossiblebecomesrealityandwhereyoucouldbewhatyou
want.Ittookthemtoaplacewherelearningcouldbemoreinteresting.Insteadofwritingafive
pagepaperonthehistoryofsoap,theycouldwritewhattheywanted.Itletthembethemselves
andtheyenjoyedaclasswheretheyhadthisfreedomtomakeastorythewaytheywantand
showsomeindividuality.Thisgameallowsnormalpeopletoescapethemundanerealityforabit
wherefantasybecomesreal,wheretherearenolimitstowhatcanhappenaslongasyoucan
imagineit.

Whenthistabletopgamewasoriginallypublishedin1974,itsparkedarevolution.
Tabletopgameswerethenorm,gamesmovedinformationsandhadatraditionalapproach,but
whenD&Dhitthesceneitchangedeverything.Nowinsteadofmilitaryformationsandbeinga
groupthatdidthesamething,youwereacharacterthatyoucreated.Youtookyourwizardor
knightandsetoffonaquestwithotherswhosoughtadventure.AccordingtoWizardsofthe
Coast,GaryGygaxcreatorofD&D,itallowedformorecreativityintheworldoftabletop
gamingwhichisthesamechangethatshouldbeputintotheeducationalsystem.
Thisgameblendshistory,myth,writing,andstorytellingyoucouldtakepiecesfrom
anythingandincorporatethemintoastoryofyourdesign.Youshapedthisworldoutofnothing
byjustusingyourimaginationandafewresourcesandmadeafunentertainingexperiencefor
alltoenjoy.AsaDungeonMaster,orthestoryteller,youmaintainthesettingofanadventure
andcontrolledtheinhabitantsthegamersmaycross.Youguidethemthroughchallengesand
dilemmasbattlingcreatures,claimingtreasuresandgatheringknowledgeinthisgameworldthat
canbeanythingyouwantittobe.Besidesmakingworldsyoumakeyourcharacteranddevelop
him/herthroughquestandstoriestoldbyyourselfandyourpeers.Thereisanextremelylonglist
ofthingstoincludeinmakingacharacterlikeyourage,height,weight,haircolorandstyle,etc.
butsomeofthemainpointsarerace,class,andalignmentandbackgroundstory.(Wizardsofthe
coast,D&Dplayer'shandbookv.3.5).
Allplayersmustchooseaclass.ItswhatyoudointheworldAreyouawizardthathas
spentyearstrainingandimprovingyourmagicalabilities,Areyouabraveandnobleknightthat
willstopatnothingtosavetheworld?Abardtohelpkeepahappymoodwithinthepartyalong
withusingyourcharmtohelpkeepeveryoneoutoftrouble?Possiblyyou'reastrangeand

misunderstoodroguethatwasshunnedorbanishedfromyourhomelandandisnowworkingasa
mercenaryjusttomakealiving,ormaybeafighterthatlovesnothingmorethanthethrillofa
goodbattle.
Yourraceprovidesyouwithabasicsetofadvantagesandspecialabilities,Ifyou'rea
fighter,areyouastubbornhumanmonsterslayer,animbleelfblademaster,orafierce
dragonborngladiator?Ifyou'reawizard,areyouabravegnomespellforhireorafiercedruid
conjurer?Thereisamultitudeofracesrangingfromelf,human,dragonborn,gnome,druid,orc,
halfling,halforc,deva,etc.Yourcharacterracenotonlyaffectsyourabilityscores,butalso
providesthefirstcuesforbuildingyourcharacter'sstory.
DungeonsandDragonsisnotjustaroleplayinggame,itseducational.Thegame
incorporatesandhelpsbuildskillslikereadingandwriting,criticalthinking,basicmathematics,
andproblemsolving.Theseareallimportantskills,butunlikemostofthenormalclasseswhere
wecanlearntheseskills,butitisbasedaroundsocialinteractionamongthestudents.Starting
withreadingandwritingastheyaretaskedwithgettingfamiliarizedwiththebasicsofcharacter
developmentandtherulesofthegame.Oncetheycreatedacharactertheirgoalistolevelupin
ordertogainnewabilitiesandskills.Playersmaychoosetoplayasaspellcaster,whileothers
maydecidetobeameleetype.
Astheygetmoreindepthwiththecharacterdevelopment,morereadingskillsbeginto
emergeastheinformationbeingstogetmoreandmorecomplex.Afteraplayerchoosesarace
andclass,theyneedtoaddskillsandabilitiesandwhilecertainonesarefitforsomecharacters
betterthanothersitsuptothemtoshapehis/hercharacter.Saytheirplayingasaroguethey
maywanttohaveskillslikehide,movesilently,andclimbbecauseitplaystothestrengthsofa

rogue.Abilitiesarelikeskills,butismorespecialized.Itcoversthingslikewhetherthey'regoing
tofightwithonehandedweaponsortwohanded,aretheygoingtofightfromadistanceorin
closequarters.Thesearejustafewexamplesofhowcomplexcharactercreationcangetand
becauseofthesecomplexitiesitrequiresplayerstocontinuetoreadthebookstogainknowledge
aboutwhattheycando.
Theroleplayingencouragesthemtowriteabackgroundstorytoinformothersoftheir
past.Itincludesthingslikewheretheycamefrom,whattypeofjobtheyhadifany,howthey
look,andhowtheywereborn.Thishelpsthembuildontotheircharacterandhelpswithcreative
writingskills.Onceeveryonehastheircharactertheycanbegintoexploreaworldmadebythe
DMastheyplaytheywillcomeincontactwithmonsters,quests,treasures,eventownandlarge
cities.Theygetimmersedintothisworldthroughroleplayingwhichcanhelpwithsocialskills
andastheyfighttheirwaythroughdungeons,caves,towns,andforesttheygetachancetouse
problemsolvingskills.Forexamplesayyourcharacterisbadlypoisonedandhastwodaysto
livebuttheycomeacrossaholethatis100ftdeepand200ftindiameterandtogoaroundit
wouldbeathreedaytrek.Whatisyournextcourseofaction?Ormaybeyourgroupfellintoa
trapdeepinadungeonandnowtheroomisfillingupwithwaterandtheonlywayoutistosolve
ariddleormaybefindahiddendoor.Itgivesplayerstochancetoworktogethertoescapetraps
orcompleteaquestthattheycouldntdoalone.
TeamworkisbyfaroneofthemostimportantaspectsofDungeonsandDragonsitsa
vitalaspectthatallowsthegametorunitscourse.Thereasonthatteamworkissoimportantis
everycharacterisdifferentandhastheirownsetofskillthathelpmaketeambalanced.Each
personplaystheirownroletowhethertheyareaknightuponthefrontlinesoraclericstanding

backhealingtheparty.Nowhatacharacterspathistheneedtheiralliestohelpcarryout
whateverthetaskathandmaybeandwilllearnthattheirisnowaytodoitontheirown.The
ArtificesaidForinstance,theplayersmayfindthattheyaretomaketheirwaypastablockaded
doororthattheymustfindawayintoaguardedkeep.Theblockadeddoorisverystrong,ruling
outthepossibilitythataweakercharacterwouldbeabletobreakitdown.However,iftwo
charactersworktogethertoopenthedoortheyhavebetterchancesofsucceeding.Fortheplayers
togetintotheguardedkeeptheymighthaveoptionslikebreakingin,sneakingin,orusing
diplomacytogetintothekeep.Nomatterwhatdirectiontheychoosetheplayersmustwork
togethertocompletetheirgoals.Likecriticalthinkingandproblemsolving,teamworkisan
essentialpartofthegamethatcomesnaturallyandisusedfrequentlywithoutplayersrealizing
thattheyareparticipating.
(theartifice.com/dungeonsdragonseducationalrpg/)
Besidesreading,
writing,problemsolving,andsocialinteractionitusesmathematicsaswell.Requiringcommon
skillsofaddition,subtraction,division,andmultiplication,basedonrollingdicetheyusethe
numericalresultstodeterminesuccessorfailofattacks,skills,determiningstats,etc.

Overtheyearsit'sbecomeclearthathavingfunandusingalternativewaytoeducateisa
usefulaspectforprimaryschoolingbutwhataboutforthesecondarysystem?Thesecondary
curriculumhasevolvedintolecturesandformallearningwhereteachershavetohavecomplete
controloverclassroomandthelearningprocessbecauseoursuccessismeasuredbytestscores
andstandards.Itleadstoteachersputtinggoalsandformallearningaheadofmakingthe
educationinterestingandmoreinteractive.Forexample,asecondaryteacher@kenny73stated
ontwitterthathehadhisstudentsdoanexperimenttolearnaboutcoastalactions.Theyused

sandtraysandwatertosimulatecoastalactions
Hesaid:"IwasveryclearthatIwasn'tlooking
foradefinitiveanswertoanything,butIdidwantstudentstoobserveandrecordtheirfindings
beforetryingtolinktoactualcoastallandscapes.Thefreedomallowedstudentstojusttrythings
theirownway,experimentandprobablymakesomedifferentconclusionsfrommine,butsome
similaroneswhichtheywillultimatelykeepfromamemorablelesson.Therearesomanypieces
andlinkswecanpickupfromthisinfuturelessons,evenifthelearningwasmessy,witha
differentstructureandanunusualwaytoexplorethenewtopic."(DonLedingham,education
bloggeranddirectorofeducationandchildren'sservicesforMidlothianCouncil,2013).
Therearestrongindicationsfromdozensofscientificstudiesthatroleplayinggaming
canbenefitmany,ifnotmost,populationgroupsfromchildrentoelderly,fromlearningdisabled
tophysicallydisabled,andevenforhelpwithsomeformsofmentalillness.Thereareanearly
limitlessnumberofsettingsavailableforthesesgames,rangingacrossallRoleplayingGames
Usedaseducationalandtherapeutictoolsforyouthandadultsgenresfrommedievalfantasyto
sciencefiction,WildWest,horrorandsuspense,It'salreadybeenestablishedinthe
therapeuticandpsychologicalindustriesthatroleplaying,canbeaverypowerfultool.
OrganizationslikeAmericanTherapeuticRecreationAssociationhasestablishedthat
recreationalactivitiesspecificallygameshaveverystrongtherapeuticbenefits.Howeveralarge
majorityofpsychotherapisthavenotyetdabbledinusingthesemediums.Thisisprobablydueto
thecontroversystartingin1980.AtthetimeD&Dwasstillnew.Therewereafewinstances
whereD&Dwasblamedforproblemswithstudentsthathadcommittedsuicideorhad
disappeared.
D&Disstilldebatedeventothisdayandhasbeenbannedfromplaceslikejailsand
correctionalinstitutionsforcultivatinganinmate'swantorneedtoescapefromreallife,hostility

andviolence.LookingatthegamefromalogicalstandpointDungeons&Dragonsshouldbe
consideredasalternativemoduleformorepsychotherapistsasitoverlapswithotherbenefits
suchasrecreation,education,therapeutic,andsocializationamongotherthings.Inspiteofallthe
negativereportsrpginghasstartedtobecomeamorewidelyacceptedalternativeapproachto
teachinginamainstreamacademicsettingforallages,elementaryschoolallthewayupto
collegelevelcourses.Theycoveramultitudeofsubjectsrangingfromlanguageartsto
mathematicsandeverythinginbetween.Whileonthetherapeuticsidemanydozensofstudies
havebeendoneontheeffectsofrpgingbutmoststudieshavebeencorrelativeintheirdata
whichtakestwoormoresetsofdataandcomparesthemthiscanstillleadtoabiasinthe
research.TheRPGresearchprojectisseekingtofillinmanyofthegapsthatstillexistinthe
researchofrpgingandwhetherisabeneficialtoolornot.
Weneedtoconvinceeveryonethatcreativityandplayareextremelyimportantin
educationandthattheyshouldnurturetheseoutlets.Ifsayayouhaveachildwhoisnot
necessarilygreatinschoolbecausetheycantretaininformationbylisteningtoateacherlecture
alldaybyhavingcreativetypelearningandhandsonlearningitincreasesthechanceof
retaininginformationbyhavingamemorablelessontorelateinformationto.Anexampleofthis
atYampahisaSustainabilityandHappinessclass.Alessonwehaveinthatclassiswhenour
instructorhasusbuildsmallstructuresandfillthemwiththingsthatstopusfromgettingtotrue
happinessandtorealizethatsmallthingslikethisareeasytoovercome.Thewaythatthisis
relevantiswehaveaphysicalrepresentationofthemeaningofthelesson.Byhavingbuiltthis
structureanddoinganontraditionalthinglikesettingitonfirewehaveamemorytorelateto
thelessonlearnedduringthisactivity.Forakidwhohasalearningdisabilitylikedyslexiaand

mixesuphis/hernumbersandletters,havingsomethingtheycanholdintheirheadlikeanote
catcheroracolorcodednotesheetthathadcreativewaystorememberfactsorstructureofan
algebraicsolvingprocesstoplanningtowriteapaper.Agreatexamplethatcanbeofrelevance
tothisideawouldbethePEMDASsayinginmathThisstandsforPleaseExcuseMyDearAunt
Sally,orinotherwordsthisistheprocessoforderofoperationsPEMDASreallyisntmentfor
theexcusingofanyonesauntitactuallyistheorderofhowyouwouldsolveaorderof
operationsproblemParentheses,Exponents,Multiplication,Division,AdditionandSubtraction.
Clearlyifcreativethinkingcanlastsixyearsthenwhywouldn'titbeabletohelpall
studentslearnmoreefficientlyinschools.Ifkidscanmakepostersorhaveaphysical
representationofalessontobelearnedthenasuccessfulwaytomakesmarterstudentswouldbe
tochangethecurriculuminschoolsystems.Eventuallywithcreativethinkingkidswouldenjoy
goingtoschoolandlearningnewthingsbecausewhenachildhassayanexistingscienceclass
whenhe/shegetstodoachemistryexperimentandblowthingsup.Thebrainreleasesadoseof
dopaminewhichisthechemicalinyourbrainthatcreatesthehappysensationthathumanscrave.
Ifaneuroncreatesapathwaywhenadoseofdopaminewasreleasedwhenyoulearned
somethingthenyourbrainwillcravethatsensationmoreeventuallycreatinganeropassagein
yourmindrelatingdopaminereleasedwithlearningmakingitmoreenjoyable.Soifwehad
creativewaysofdoingmostanythingeducationallyyoucouldcreateneropassagesinyoungkids
andhelpingthemretaininformationthatthestatewantsthemtoknowforalongperiodoftime
(Dopaminesystem:managerofneuralpathways,2013).
Rememberinkindergartenwhenyouwereexcitedtogotoschool?Wellfrom
somewherealongthewaytohighschoolhasgottenlessandlesshandson.Makingmacaroniart

wasgreatright!Whydontwehavethatnow.Justbecausewegotolderdoesn'tmeanthatthe
samemethodsthatyouusedtokeeptheattentionofsmallchildrenwouldn'tworkwithhigh
schoolkids.Eventeenshaveashortattentionspansoiftheschoolsystemstriedmanydifferent
thingsinacreativewaywouldn'tyouthinkthatitwouldmorethanlikelykeeptheminterested
ratherthanlecturingthemandexpectingthemtotakenoteswheninrealitytheyarejustgoingto
laytheirheaddownandtakeanapbecauseit'sboring.Inconclusionweneedtotakeinto
considerationthatnoteveryoneiscutoutforthecurrenteducationsystemandifwewanttosee
anewsurgeintheloveoflearningweneedtoimplementmorecreativeoutletsandtreatthem
withthesameimportanceascoresubject.

Workcited

10

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856400/
http://dnd.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/whatdd/historyfortyyearsadventure

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Sorcerer/Wizard_Spell_List

http://www.easydamus.com/alignment.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en#t1137
469

D&Dplayer'shandbookv.3.5

http://theartifice.com/dungeonsdragonseducationalrpg/

https://www.academia.edu/3668971/Roleplaying_Games_Used_as_Educational_and_The
rapeutic_Tool_for_Youth_and_Adults

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine26328105