Tabletop roleplaying course helping Surrey students make connections

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A new tabletop roleplaying course at one Surrey secondary school is proving to be an innovative tool in helping students develop language and social skills.

Social Dynamics in Tabletop Role Playing Games (TTRPG) 12, which was added to the curriculum earlier this school year, was recently put into play at Kwantlen Park Secondary.

Teacher Daniel Barton saw the course outline and immediately thought about how he might apply it to some of his students with diverse needs and abilities at the school.

“We had some BASES and ELL (English Language Learners) students who were in need of rounding out their list of electives,” said Barton. “So I offered to put on this course, and it’s really elevated their skills in not only communicating with one another, but everyone has taken something new from it.”

Whether it’s students taking on leadership-style roles in directing story-based scenarios, or others exploring their creativity by fleshing out characters and creating visuals for the game sessions, Barton said the student growth has been exciting to watch.

“There are some students who have been disengaged elsewhere in their studies, but here, they’re taking leadership roles and helping to manage sessions,” said Barton. “It’s been really interesting to see.”

As someone familiar with TTRPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons, Barton knew there were many opportunities for students to excel, if only given the right opportunity. For that reason, he’s grateful to see more innovative and unique learning practices make their way into the classroom.

“What can be perceived by many as just play can actually be a powerful learning tool,” he said. “We used to expect kids to sit through an hour and 20 minutes of talking and expect them to learn from that. But when you engage them like this, let them have an active role in their development, it makes all the difference.”