On today’s episode, Ryan and Howie welcome an extra special guest to the show, Mark DiBlasi. Yes, you heard me right, we are talking with one of Howie’s children. Listen as we discuss games in the classroom and we might also get a window peek back to how Howie was/is as a father.
So, who doesn’t like playing board games? Many families regularly play board games when they gather together and many play board games when they gather for parties and such, but did you know that many educators are now using board games in their classrooms. So on today’s show, we are looking into how and why we should consider using board games in our classrooms. Here are five of the many reasons that board games can be a useful tool in the classroom. 1. Play is an important part of our mental and social development. 2. Games provide stories and information presented in a new format. 3. Many board games challenge students to think critically. 4. Playing a board game is an “inquiry-based research process.” 5. Board games are an effective way to employ cooperative learning in the classroom.
Now that we know why and how board games should be taken seriously as a classroom tool, we need to bring in an expert to help show us the world of board games. Luckily, Howie has an inside track on a wonderfully insightful and knowledgeable gamer, Mark DiBlasi. He generously agreed to come on our show and share his wisdom. Mark starts by giving us some background on what got him into gaming and also shares why it was an important activity in a young child’s life. Mark then shares what he believes would be some of the best games to use in the classroom and how to go about implementing these games into your curriculum. Mark gives us a lot to think about when we are deciding on what games to choose, but he also does a nice job of honing in on what is important about each type of game. These categories of games can really help educators zero in on what they are trying to accomplish in their classroom. Hopefully, you will find games as powerful as we learned they can be from Mark and hopefully you will be giving them a try in your classrooms instead of just in your living room.
