Gen Con Events 2026

Games as Pedagogy: Using board games as standards-aligned curriculum and assessment tools

TitleGames as Pedagogy: Using board games as standards-aligned curriculum and assessment tools
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Game CodeTRD26ND303411
Start DateWednesday July 29, 2026 - 1:00 pm
End DateWednesday July 29, 2026 - 2:30 pm
Cost$0
Tickets Available50/50
Short DescriptionGames aren’t rewards—they’re pedagogy. Learn how a board game can be built into your curriculum to assess standards through gameplay, reflection, and facilitation using String Theory as an example.
Long DescriptionMany academic standards emphasize process skills such as strategic thinking, collaboration, systems reasoning, and problem solving, skills that are difficult to measure with traditional assessments. This session explores how tabletop games can function as instructional environments where learning becomes visible. Participants will examine how a board game can be intentionally embedded into a unit of instruction, from identifying learning goals to designing facilitation moves that surface evidence of understanding. Using media literacy lessons developed to embed String Theory, a tabletop game created by Tessellation Games, as a case study, the session models how educators can align game mechanics to standards, observe learning in real time, and translate play-based experiences into meaningful cumulative assessment data.
Event TypeTRD - Trade Day Events
Game System
Rules Edition
Group/Company
Minimum Players2
Maximum Players50
Age RequiredEveryone (6+)
Experience RequiredNone (You've never played before - rules will be taught)
LocationJW
RoomWhite River Ballroom C
Table
GM NamesBrooke Baker, Kym Kramer, Asya Aretskin-Hariton, Eliot Aretskin-Hariton
Web Address
Email Contact[email protected]
Tournament0