LARP, or live action role play, can be a tool (or perhaps a better term is “vehicle”) in education that involves students role-playing various characters or scenarios in order to learn and understand new concepts. Educational LARPs are also known as EduLARPs.

Subjects for study can vary from SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) to academics like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).  Which learning concepts the teacher wants to explore can determine the best story for the experience (what we call “Adventure” or “Module”).

LARP can be effective in teaching for a variety of reasons:

  1. LARP promotes active learning: LARP requires students to actively participate in the learning process, rather than simply listening to lectures or reading materials. This can make learning more engaging and interactive, and can help students to better retain and understand the information being presented. As well, if time for active reflection is provided after the adventure, LARP can improve transfer of this knowledge into both the academic setting as well as their personal lives.
  2. LARP encourages critical thinking: LARP can encourage students to think critically about the information being presented, as they must consider the perspectives and motivations of different characters and make decisions based on that information. This can help students to develop their critical thinking skills. It can also make room for “in-game” (during the adventure) consequences which shows why the critical thinking skills are important.
  3. LARP can be inclusive: LARP can be inclusive and culturally sensitive, as it allows students to bring their own experiences and perspectives to the role-playing scenarios. Allowing a student to bring their full, authentic self into the learning environment can improve their sense of belonging and therefore motivation. As well, by using scenarios from a variety of cultures and viewpoints, teachers can create a more diverse and inclusive learning environment.
  4. LARP can be adaptable: LARP is flexible and can be adapted to a variety of different subjects and age levels. Teachers can use LARP to teach a wide range of concepts, from language and literature to STEM and history by making the successful outcome of an adventure dependent upon this knowledge. LARP can also be useful in Informal Learning environments where participants want an immersive learning experience.
  5. LARP can teach SEL: LARP can provide a safe environment for participants to exercise positive social behaviors and relationships with their peers and adults. The safety to explore and decide which directions they want to take their character encourages students to bring those decisions to their lives. They build their own sense of moral, purpose, self-awareness and confidence which leads to decreased emotional distress, reduced risk-taking behavior, improved test scores, grades and attendance.
  6. LARP can be entertaining: LARP can be a fun and enjoyable way to learn, which can help to create a positive and welcoming classroom environment. 
  7. LARP can teach Improv:  Improvisational skills are vital in both the workplace and personal life. If the adventure is getting boring, a teacher can use improv to adjust the interactions and make the story more exciting.

LARP can be a challenge to use in educational settings if the students or teacher are confused by the “game” aspect of the adventure.  This can best be addressed by creating a simplified LARP system that can be easily and quickly understood. Other venues, like summer camps, can have time to explore a more complete LARP system that can be profoundly immersive.

And yet, LARP can be a powerful and effective tool for engaging and educating students. By using LARP in the classroom, teachers can create a more dynamic, interactive, and inclusive learning environment, and help students to better understand and remember important concepts.

 


About:  Guardian Adventures provides free and licensed educational games, adventures, and LARP systems for summer camps, schools, and recreation organizations.



October 19th or 20th at 11am on Zoom

Join us for an exciting online card game that tests your math skills while learning about different levels of cultural competency.

This is a free an online event funded by Mass STEM Week for ages 16 and up which is divided into three parts:
  1. Varying level of math challenges where you can recruit assistance from other players – or not
  2. Trade, give, or accept cards with other players to try and achieve a winning hand
  3. Open discussion and debrief about the experience and how it applies to real life
How it works:
  1. Register below by October 17th.  There are limited spots so be sure to register ASAP.
  2. You will be emailed instructions about how to play the game as well as your starting “hand” of cards. Your hand and your rules may be very different from other players.
  3. PLEASE go through the instructions and email any questions you have before the event begins. If you wait until the event starts to go through the instructions there may not be time to answer your questions and you may not have sufficient playing time.
  4. You will be sent the Zoom link before the start of the event. Make sure to have your name display be the same as your registered name or you may not be admitted to the event.
  5. You should have some comfort in navigating Zoom and writing instant messages on Zoom.
  6. If you are more than 5 minutes late, you may not be accepted into the event as the game will begin promptly.
  7. You do not need to know advanced math to participate.

If you have questions  contact us via our website. Are you an educator?  Fee free to post our event flyer!
In order to participate, please fill out the form below no later than Monday, October 17th.  There are limited spots available on each day so please register soon.

This game was developed in partnership with Andrew Peterson, teacher of Game Design at Ferris State University, and Genein Letford, Chief Creative Officer and Intercultural Creativity Trainer at CAFFE Strategies.




Meghan Gardner in Korea 2019

This summer, I was once again honored to visit Seoul, South Korea as a lead trainer for the STEM Initiative, an educational alliance between ST Unitas (the parent company of The Princeton Review), professors from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Guardian Adventures.

The trip was filled with training, meetings, visiting local destinations, and a banquet of learning for all of us.  As well as meeting our team of 20 teachers and over 100 students, I had the opportunity to interview one of the top executives of ST Unitas who was present at the company’s start: Vision Director Kahee Kim.

My interview with Ms. Kim was eye-opening to me on the cultural differences between Asia and the USA as it pertains to education, business, and even how certain words like “innovation” are defined.  If you are interested in knowing more, join me in the LinkedIn group about Informal Education & Learning.  I will be posting articles there about various interviews I conduct with individuals from around the world as we explore what Informal Learning and Education is and why it’s important.

Each day, Dr. Uche Amaechi and I would be picked up and brought to Seoul National University.  Found in 1946, SNU is considered the most prestigious university in the country (with an international tuition of $5,500 a year – no, that’s not a typo).  We trained the teachers in the curriculum based on the story that all of the students are Mars colonists and trying to survive on Mars while also trying to expand beyond the solar system.

On the last day in Seoul, just as we were leaving for the airport, our hosts asked us to chat with the students who had just arrived for the start of the first session of camp.  Disregarding the fact that both Uche and I were in our informal travel clothes in preparation for a 14 hour plane trip, we agreed to meet with the kids and cheered them on as they stepped into the educational adventure we helped create.  During the meet & greet, we had the opportunity to talk up our Winter Camp where kids from Korea visit the US to attend classes at Harvard and then an immersive adventure at Guardian Adventures.

Outside of working with the generous and diligent students, teachers, and business executives at the STEM Initiative, I was also provided with exquisite culinary experiences, jaw-dropping walks through Seoul’s largest Buddhism temple, and endearing conversations with a number of people about their day-to-day lives and Korean culture.

If you haven’t been to Seoul and have the opportunity, I highly recommend it.  It is a very modern city with gorgeous architecture that looks as if it were designed either 100 years into the future or 500 years into the past.  It’s immensely clean (the subway station especially) and safe.  Many of the residents speak English and are excited about sharing their beautiful city with foreigners.

I came home to discover that Guardian Adventures has been contracted by another international organization to develop educational programs for their clients.  We will share more about this project after the news goes public in November.  But we are very excited to see our company expanding into the global market and helping students of all ages all over the world learn through our educational adventures.  Stay tuned and let’s make this journey together.

 

 


About the Author:


Meghan Gardner is the founder of Guard Up, Inc. which owns and operates Wizards & Warriors and Zombie Summer Camps, programs and events. These educational camps and events are STEM and story-based experience where instead of watching movies or playing video games about heroes, mythological creatures, mystery, and adventure, the campers get to live it. Kids and teens spend the summer playing a character of their own design and fighting monsters with foam swords or NERF Blasters, physics, biology, chemistry, and more. Gardner is also a STEM Curriculum Designer for ST Unitas (the parent company of The Princeton Review), a guest lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education and other major universities, and an international speaker on the topic of Informal Education and Learning for all ages.



Normally Mars is 33.9 million miles from Earth.  But for a few days this past January, Mars got a whole lot closer.

After the success of Guardian Adventures founder, Meghan Gardner’s work on the Mission to Mars STEM summer camps in Seoul, Korea last summer, ST Unitas (the parent company of The Princeton Review and the largest Tech Ed company in all of Asia), decided to send their campers to the USA this winter that would take educational adventures to a whole new level.

Students from Seoul, Korea joined The STEM Initiative, a collaboration between ST Unitas, professors and staff from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Guard Up’s Guardian Adventures. This first of its kind collaboration integrates traditional STEM-based learning principles with informal education — experiential and student-driven processes that foster learning through hands-on activity.