Stories in the Classroom for Gamification
Stories are everything. That’s it, blog post done! Oh, wait, what? More details required? Well, as long as you remember the important thing – stories. are. everything. In fact, teachers can use stories in the classroom as a powerful tool to increase student engagement.
Why are stories important?
Stories. are. everything. Throughout history, humans have always used stories to entertain, make sense of life, understand another point of view, and make sense of what it means to be human. In fact, as soon as we become aware of our surroundings as an infant, we are suddenly starring in our own story. By default, we are the protagonist of our own story. We see life through our own eyes, and the other people in our lives become essential characters in our story. As we get older, we realize that everyone experiences life as the protagonist of their own story too and we are able to understand other perspectives but we still experience life as the protagonist of our own story. The power of understanding storytelling in the classroom is to understand the key roles in a story.
Roles in a Story
The Protagonist is the main character. By default, each person is the protagonist of their own story.
The Hero is one manifestation of the protagonist. The goal is for each of us (and each student) to be the hero of their own story. The hero makes decisions in their own story that often result in a desirable outcome.
The Victim is a second manifestation of the protagonist. The difference between a hero and a victim is that the victim either 1. makes decisions that do not result in a desirable outcome or 2. the decisions are made for the victim and they have to go along with the decision made.
The Spectator is the third manifestation of the protagonist. The spectator does not make decisions. The spectator just floats along with what others are doing, never interacting with anyone if they can help it.
The Guide is not the protagonist. The guide is a mentor/teacher in a person’s life who gives good advice that helps the hero along in his/her chosen journey.
The Villain is often a negative manifestation of the guide. The villain will often inflict decisions on the victim or will give poor advice that the hero rejects.
The Sidekick/Companion is a supportive character that journeys with the hero and is supportive of the hero on his/her journey but does not have any specialized insight into the journey ahead.
The NPC (non-player character) is a person of little to no consequence. They may be useful to obtain information once for a specific quest/task but they have no lasting effect on the hero and his/her journey.
The Problem/Conflict is not a character but is essential to any story. The hero must overcome a problem/conflict/task and eventually emerge victorious for the story to have appeal.
How to Use These Roles for Stories in the Classroom
In our classrooms, we have to approach students as the protagonist. This is the “default setting” and makes it easier to increase engagement if we go along with the system that’s already started. The protagonist has 3 possible roles: the hero, the victim, and the spectator. The goal is to make students the hero in our classrooms. The hero is the empowered role, the hero can make decisions and somewhat control the outcome of his/her decisions. The victim is another protagonist option but the victim is not in control of their journey. Punishment, lack of control, and pain are what define the victim and all of these are inflicted on the victim. The third option is the spectator who doesn’t really take responsibility for anything or make any decisions. They don’t care about consequences because the consequences don’t really affect them.
The Teacher’s Role
To use stories in the classroom, the teacher should have the guide role. Now we have to be careful here. A good guide will empower the hero to continue on his/her chosen journey and offer clarity on how to accomplish their task or reach their destination. The guide does not make decisions for the hero but empowers the hero in their own decisions.
However, the guide can easily fall into the role of the villain. The villain tries to interfere in the hero’s chosen journey and must be defeated. The villain does not offer helpful advice but may offer bad advice. Or worse, the villain may inflict punishment or pain on the protagonist and this can cause students to take on the role of the victim. This happens with the villain is in charge and is not allowing the hero to make decisions that benefit the hero’s chosen journey.
The third option for a teacher role is pretty neutral as the NPC. This is not awful but not great either. As NPC’s, we offer short-term insight and we represent a short stop on the hero’s journey. The hero may learn something from us but we have very little impact on the hero’s chosen journey.
The other students in your class have two options for their roles. The other students are the sidekicks/companions when they are supportive and encouraging to the hero on his chosen journey. A good teacher guide will be encouraging of these positive relationships. The other option for the other students in class is either an NPC where they really don’t affect the hero on his journey or as mini-villains. A good teacher guide will not allow other students to become villains to the hero. A good teacher guide will especially not join in on the pain that the other villains are inflicting on the hero. If this happens the teacher guide will very quickly become the villain.
How Does This All Apply to Stories in the Classroom?
These roles happen with or without our knowledge. Being aware of these roles will help the teacher guide understand the complex relationships in the classroom and encourage students and teachers to step into the roles that are best suited to learning. Understanding and using these roles are the key to using stories in the classroomThe ideal roles for each person in the classroom are: student – the hero, teacher – the guide, and other students – sidekicks/companions. As the teacher guide, these identifying roles start with you. Students must be empowered to make decisions in their own learning that will result in positive outcomes in order to care about what we are teaching. Teachers must be the sage guide and not the villain of the story.
How Do I Use These Roles in My Classroom?
Now that we’ve seen an overview of the roles in students’ stories, the next step is to use them for stories in the classroom! I developed a system of Gamification and Mastery Classroom strategies that empower teachers to be the wise guide in the room and for students to be the hero of their unique stories. I would love to work with you to implement a system that works for you and your students.If you would like to join my Facebook group of educators interested in Gamification and Mastery Classroom, click here. If you aren’t interested in joining the Facebook group yet, no worries! Just stay tuned for weekly tips and tricks for classroom gamification here on this blog.
Thank you and see you soon!
