Engaging learners is one of the first hurdles in education. Insights from the field make this evident for DRR education in the Philippines because of its heavily theoretical nature. Even if the curriculum encourages immersion and practical application, educators rarely have the opportunity given constraints in time, resources and policies at the school level.
Using games as a learning experience becomes an appropriate response to these challenges. The games become an interactive and engaging space for learning and practicing skills necessary in DRR. Aside from teaching DRR concepts, games also help in teaching critical thinking and other soft skills such as creativity, collaboration and communication.
The Handang Heroes game kit is a set of 5 card-based games that DRR teachers and community educators can use to support their teaching of DRR and CCA concepts in class. The games themselves also encourage modification and customization from the users in order to further enrich and contextualize the learning experience contained in the games.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet to help educators introduce games and gamified learning experiences to their classrooms:
