In one of those rare brain-storms that changes everything I decided to use the board game Diplomacy in my speech class.
The game looks like a military game, like Risk, but really, it's much more about communication. As Wikipedia says:
Diplomacy differs from the majority of war games in several ways:
- Players do not take turns sequentially; instead all players secretly write down their moves after a negotiation period, then all moves are revealed and put into effect simultaneously.
- Social interaction and interpersonal skills make up an essential part of the game's play.
- The rules that simulate combat are strategic, abstract, and simple—not tactical, realistic, or complex—as this is a diplomatic simulation game, not a military one.
- Each military unit has the same strength.
All of this forces kids to communicate. I'm also pretty sure it will give a rich enough environment that students can do additional writing and speaking assignments on their, you know, experiences, even though they are in-game experiences. The idea just clicked into my head . . . and it felt good.
I've been so pleased with myself that I've been thinking about the game a lot, and decided it'd be fun to play myself a bit.
So this is another possible free hobby: playing Diplomacy online. The website I am using is webDiplomacy.net.
I can say this much: the game is better in person. And that's neat because I'm using the greatest advantage a school offers: bringing young people together. This is also, of course, a school's greatest weakness. But that is a good principal of permaculture: turn weaknesses into strengths.
Turn:
"Oh man, my speech class has so many kids."
Into
"Oh boy, oh wow, my class has so many kids . . .this game is going to be something so much greater than I was ever able to play."
And it is really that kind of longing to have what I am creating for the kids that is making want to this, just to capture a little bit of it.
And that makes me feel really good as a teacher.
