S6E135: Literacy- Games and Storytelling with Michael Low

 

Literacy- Games and Storytelling

Michael Low is a writing teacher and curriculum developer with over two decades of experience.  He's also a tabletop game designer who designs and runs story-telling games for kids from 7-13 that use the inspirational, collaborative nature of role-playing to get kids writing page after page for the sheer joy of it.  You can find his writing classes (homeschool accredited) at LuckOfLegends.com, and his print to play at home monthly games and podcast at StoriesRPG.com.

 

If you are a regular listener to the show, receive my email newsletter, follow me on social media or are part of the community through Patreon or Clubhouse you will probably know a few things about my beliefs around learning;

 

1. That learners need to have agency in their lives and learning. Yes, that includes our children.

 

2. I am a big believer in games and the gamification of learning. In fact Gameschooling is something that I think everyone can incorporate into their homeschool at some point.

 

3. Learning should be joyful and meaningful. Sure, it can be challenging. But it doesn't have to to be rigorous just to prove it's good or worthy. Learning is not meant to be shameful. It's meant to be fun.

 

Michael Low also believes in the power of games, (role playing games especially), learner agency and meaning in learning. He also believes in the power of story. That's why he is dedicated to helping young learners write, speak, think, collaborate, think critically and fall in love with storytelling.

In This Episode

I love hearing insight from educators that have chosen to create and support learners in diverse ways that look nothing like what happens within the classroom walls. Learning to write through play? Looking for fun and collaboration in the writing process? Games and stories that engage our children from start to finish? Then listen to this episode. In this episode Michael and I dive into:

 

• The power of learner agency
• Why School is a badly designed game
• The gaps in the education institution and how we'd like it to shift
• His measurement of success~ teaching the skills learners need to learn on their own
• You can't learn if you don't trust
• Deschooling
• The amazing gifts and joys of role playing games
• Learning to write through play and games
• Collaborative Story Telling Engagement

Resources For Parents and Homeschoolers

Michael's games and classes are Homeschool Accredited.

 

Learning To Write Through Play- Luck Of Legends

 

Podcast and Stories- Stories RPG

 

Luck Of Legends

 

Michael's Blog

 

Peter Gray- Free To Learn

 

Listen to my interview with Dr. Peter Gray. Or my episode on Building Literacy At Home.

Looking for more support in your homeschool and unschooling journey? I’ve got you! Check out my Patreon Community where I offer monthly Live Q&A on all your homeschool, unschool and self directed learning questions. For the summer of 2022- this live support is open to ALL Patron levels. You also have access to my downloads, special videos, insights and interviews with my family! https://www.patreon.com/honeyimhomeschoolingthekids

Honey! I’m Homeschooling Club on Clubhouse App offer free weekly discussion groups and support.

Follow me on Instagram

 

Sponsor Shout Out- Night Zookeeper

 

Thank you to our episode sponsor, Night ZooKeeper!

 

Is your child a reluctant writer? Do they struggle with reading? If your answer to either of these questions is YES, then Night Zookeeper may be just what you’ve been looking for.

 

Night Zookeeper is an online learning program for children aged 6 to 12 years old and uses a gamified approach to help to keep kids engaged and focused on developing awesome reading and writing skills, all while having fun at the same time!

 

Some of the features we love include the educational games, the fun challenges, the personalized feedback and the super safe community pages, where children can work with each other and learn together.

 

You can try it for free by clicking on the link in the bio! When you register, you’ll get a 7-day, risk-free trial, as well as a huge 50% off your annual subscription, that’s a great deal if you ask me! 

 

If you are in the US, Australia, Canada or the UK, look for the special links below for your country:

 

US: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/en-us/parents/special_offers/1?referrer=honeyimhomeschooling_22&utm_source=honeyimhomeschooling_22&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=podcast
CA: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/en-ca/parents/special_offers/ca-offer?referrer=honeyimhomeschooling_22&utm_source=honeyimhomeschooling_22&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=podcast
UK: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/en-gb/parents/special_offers/facebook-offer52?referrer=honeyimhomeschooling_22&utm_source=honeyimhomeschooling_22&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=podcast
AUS: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/en-au/parents/special_offers/au-offer?referrer=honeyimhomeschooling_22&utm_source=honeyimhomeschooling_22&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=podcast

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.