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Program hosts

Jakub Doleček (CZE) & Josef Kundrát (CZE)- Edu-larp workshop: Design and Evaluation of Science Edu-larps

Heikki Koponen (FIN) - Edu-larps to choose from: Finland in the year zero, Fish bowl panel: Edularps - Where Are We Now?, Data Blitz: Pentagon 1 & 2: take four upper secondary school courses and make a hybrid game - Nukes included!

J. Tuomas Harviainen (FIN) - Data Blitz: Edu-gaming in upper secondary school language learning, Fish bowl panel: Edularps - Where Are We Now? (host)

Kaisa Kangas (FIN) - Data Blitz: Edu-larp for Adults - designing educational games for art students

Maija Korhonen (FIN) - Conference organiser

Taru Kumara-Moisio (FIN) - Data Blitz: Aqua - an educational live action role-playing game about running out of fresh water

Tanja Lehto (FIN) - Data Blitz: Edu-larp in early childhood education

Venla Leimu (FIN) - Edu-larps to choose from: Edu-larping practical nursing scenarios, Data Blitz: Professional English with a creative twist: Edu-larping in vocational school language learning

Antti Leppä (FIN) - Edu-larps to choose from: Finland in the year zero, Data Blitz: Pentagon 1 & 2: take four upper secondary school courses and make a hybrid game - Nukes included!

Sarah Lynne Bowman (USA) - Lecture: Edu-larp - A Literature Review, Fish bowl panel: Edularps - Where Are We Now?

Martin Nielsen as Alibier (NOR) - Fish bowl panel: Edularps - Where Are We Now?

Vesa Partanen (FIN) - Edularps to choose from: Finland in the year zero

Jori Pitkänen (FIN) -  Conference organiser, Edu-larps to choose from, Data Blitz: Bullying Minilarp

Jupe Rantalainen (FIN) - Data Blitz: X-Men - Hacking Group Dynamics with Mutant Powers

Siri Sandqvist as LajvVerkstaden (SWE) - Edu-larp workshop: Workshop and Debrief for beginners

Ritva Savonsaari (FIN) - Data Blitz: Edu-gaming in upper secondary school language learning

David Simkins (USA) - Edu-larp workshop: Designing Role Play for Learning

Esben Wilstrup as Epos (DEN) - Video before the panel

Qla Zetterberg as LajvVerkstaden (SWE) - Edu-larp workshop: Workshop and Debrief for beginners, Fish bowl panel: Edularps - Where Are We Now?

Program

Three edu-larps to choose from

Time: 9.30-10.30

Bullying Minilarp

Jori Pitkänen

Amount of participants: 10-25

A simulation of schoolyard bullying, based on roles found in research about school bullying. Preparation, the whole larp and debriefing all fit in 60 minutes. The edu-larp is especially designed to research the phenomenon of bullying and preventing it. It is suited for students from 9 years onwards.

Finland in the year zero

Heikki Koponen, Vesa Partanen, Antti Leppä

Amount of participants: As many as needed

As we know, Finland became independent only recently. Welcome to Finland's nr 1 TV studio! Take part in the chat show ‘Finland in the year zero’. Today's main topic is education. What kind of school system do we need in this new situation? Please join us as a panelist or be part of the show in the audience.

This larp has been used in trainings for curriculum creation.

Edu-larping practical nursing scenarios

Venla Leimu

Amount of participants: 10-25

This edu-larping session has been originally prepared for teenage practical nursing students studying at Hyria vocational school in Riihimäki and Hyvinkää. The simulation integrates studying English with the students' professional studies such as Caregiving or Working with the Elderly. During the edu-larping session, participants communicate with each other in roles. While practicing both English and various customer service scenarios, the participant also gets a fresh perspective on their future job.

Data Blitz - Short presentations of edu-larp projects in Finland

Time: 11.15-12.00

Jupe Rantalainen: X-Men - Hacking Group Dynamics with Mutant Powers

Some experiences with seven boys from the fifth grade, their problematic group dynamics and X-Men training.

Ritva Savonsaari and J. Tuomas Harviainen: Edu-gaming in upper secondary school language learning

Tanja Lehto: Edu-larp in early childhood education

Otavan opisto (Heikki Koponen, Antti Leppä): Pentagon 1 & 2: take four upper secondary school courses and make a hybrid game - Nukes included!

Venla Leimu: Professional English with a creative twist: Edu-larping in vocational school language learning

Kaisa Kangas: Edu-larp for Adults - designing educational games for art students

Taru Kumara-Moisio: Aqua - an educational live action role-playing game about running out of fresh water

Edu-larp workshops

Time: 13.00-14.15

Workshop and Debrief for beginners

Siri Sandqvist and Qla Zetterberg

Amount of participants: max. 40

During an intense workshop the participants will try some of the most successful and common workshops and debrief methods used by the Swedish larp company LajvVerkstaden for school classes with no earlier larp experience. We will explain how we present and run the workshops and why this has proven to be the best way of doing it.

Design and Evaluation of Science Edu-larps

Josef Kundrát and Jakub Doleček

Amount of participants: 6-25

This workshop will be divided into two parts. In the first part we will examine the possibilities of designing edu-larps about natural sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry) for elementary schools. We will discuss some recent games from Czech Republic and try to resolve some challenging design issues.

The second part will be about feedback and evaluation of edu-larp games in general. We are going to share some interesting techniques for collecting feedback and reflection from our players, teachers and actors. We are trying to develop a new evaluation method based on construal level theory of psychological distance. Some implications and research challenges will be discussed.

Designing Role Play for Learning

David Simkins

Amount of participants: 10-25

In this workshop we will be working through some of the exciting possibilities of using role play for learning. Looking at a few different ways of implementing role play. We will look at a bit of design and learning theory, and put that theory into practice. Starting with learning goals, we will begin to define design constraints, scope, and structure, and move to defining content for a larp for learning.

Lecture: Edu-larp - A Literature Review

Time: 14.30-15.00

Sarah Lynne Bowman

Summarizing the results of an article from the Wyrd Con Companion Book 2014, this literature review streamlines the various benefits afforded by experiential learning along cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions. Larp, simulation, games, and drama are considered alongside one another as cousin forms of experiential pedagogy. Synthesizing both anecdotal and empirical research, this presentation provides an extensive list of some of the potential uses and functions of edu-larp, from classroom activities to professional training to leisure larps with a pedagogical purpose. More quantitative and qualitative research is needed to establish the generalizability of these benefits.

Fish bowl panel: Edularps - Where Are We Now?

Time: 15.00-15.45

Panelists: J. Tuomas Harviainen (panel host), Qla Zetterberg, Heikki Koponen, Sarah Lynne Bowman, Martin Nielsen and possibly you!

Dr J. Tuomas Harviainen hosts the panel, which addresses the current state of edu-larp: Where are we now? What is done around the world? How is edu-larp seen by official instances? Where is edu-larp's potential in the future? The discussion begins with a short video clip and some questions from Esben Wilstrup from EPOS Efterskole, a new role playing school in Denmark.

The panel discussion is in the fish bowl form: One chair is always kept empty for audience members who want to join in. When someone from the audience joins the panel, they get the next commenting turn and become a member of the panel. One of the original panelists needs to leave, but they can of course come back whenever they want to comment on something.