The Board Game Getting Kids Excited About School | Joel Baraka | TED

翻译人员: Yeyun Deng 校对人员: sylvia feng

At the very young age of less than one year old,

在我不到一岁的时候，

a violent civil war broke out in my home country

一场暴力内战爆发在

of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

我的祖国刚果民主共和国。

As a result, my family was forced to flee.

因此，我的家人被迫逃离。

And as luck would have it,

幸运的是，

we found safety in Kyangwali refugee camp,

我们在位于乌干达西部 的Kyangwali 难民营

located in western Uganda,

找到了安全的地方，

where I grew up from and have learned to call home

我从那里长大，并在 已经过去了 24 年中

for the past 24 years.

称它为家。

Every morning, my two parents would wake up at 5am

每天早上，我的父母 都会在早上 5 点起床，

and leave for the fields where they went to cultivate our small garden,

然后去田地里耕种我们的小花园，

to plant maize and beans to feed the family.

种植玉米和豆类来养家糊口。

And every evening when they came back home,

每天晚上， 当他们回家时，

they would end the night in the same way.

他们都会以同样的方式结束夜晚。

Usually, they would gather me and my siblings

通常，他们会召集 我和我的兄弟姐妹，

and would give us a pep talk

给我们打气，

on how much they desired for us to go to school and be educated.

告诉我们他们多么希望 我们能够上学和受教育。

Surprisingly, none of my parents actually had gone to school.

惊讶的是，我的父母 实际上都没有上学。

But to them, education meant securing a well-paying job

但对他们来说，教育意味 着在未来的某个时候

at some point in the future.

找到一份高薪工作。

And with this, we [could] afford the three meals a day.

有了这个，我们 可以负担一天三餐。

We perhaps could build a nice-looking house for our family

我们或许可以为我们的家人 建造一座漂亮的房子，

or even decide to take our family from the refugee camp to the city.

甚至决定把我们的家人 从难民营带到城市。

And so when I started going to school,

所以当我开始上学的时候，

I took this [to] heart and I took school seriously.

我把这件事放在心上， 认真对待学校。

Even though I was just a little kid, I managed to wake myself out of bed,

尽管我还是个小孩子， 我还是设法把自己从床上叫醒，

take all three goats to graze

带着三只山羊去吃草，

and be back on time to dress up and go to school.

然后准时穿好衣服去上学。

Classes in the refugee camp can be overcrowded.

难民营的班级可能过于拥挤。

I was one of the nearly 200 students who sat in a single classroom

我是坐在一间教室里 近 200 名学生中的一员，

as I tried to focus and learn.

我试图集中精力学习。

But besides the problem of overcrowded classrooms,

但除了教室拥挤的问题，

we also had an issue whereby most of our learning

我们还有一个问题， 我们的大部分的学习

was characterized by rote memorization.

都是死记硬背。

On a typical day, we showed up in a classroom,

在一个寻常日子里， 我们出现在一个教室里，

copied down notes that teachers gave us

抄下老师给我们的笔记，

and were expected to go back home

并准备回家复习，

[and] cram these in preparation for exams.

为考试做准备。

And if I can be honest with you, I did not enjoy this.

如果我可以对你说实话， 我并不喜欢这样。

We barely interacted with our teachers and even amongst ourselves.

我们几乎没有与老师互动， 甚至没有与自己互动。

And even though as serious students,

尽管作为严肃的学生，

most of the time, school seemed to be very boring.

大多数时候， 学校似乎很无聊。

However, as I was growing up

然而，随着我的成长，

and as I took on the routine of going to school in the morning

当我开始每天早上上学，

and then coming back to my family in the evening,

晚上回到家里时，

there seemed to be one thing and one thing only,

似乎只有一件事真

that truly held my attention,

正吸引了我的注意力，

and that was the idea of playing games.

那就是玩游戏。

And I most loved playing the game of football.

我最喜欢踢足球。

Now I will start off by addressing the biggest elephant in the room.

现在我将首先提出 最不愿多谈的话题，

I know most of you love American football,

我知道你们大多数人 都喜欢美式足球，

but actually that's not the game I'm talking about.

但事实上， 这不是我所说的比赛。

I’m five foot three, and given my size,

我身高一米六， 考虑到我的体型，

I truly can't play American football.

我真的不适合踢美式足球。

So I’m actually talking about football, where we use our feet, and that’s soccer.

所以我实际上是在谈论足球， 我们用脚，这就是足球。

I also loved playing the cards of spades.

我也喜欢玩黑桃牌。

And most of the time after school I would come to my house,

放学后的大部分时间， 我都会回家，

and I would be holding a deck of cards.

手里拿着一副扑克牌。

And every time my parents saw me shuffling these cards,

每次我父母看到我洗牌，

they would be paranoid, thinking I'd started gambling.

他们都会疑神疑鬼， 以为我开始赌博了。

But I wasn't.

但我不是。

And perhaps because I then didn't have money to do so.

也许是因为当时我没有钱这样做。

No wonder,

难怪，

while in high school in 2016,

2016 年上高中时，

the idea of gamification became the best solution

游戏化的想法成为了

I thought about I could use

我认为可以用来解决

to be able to address the problem in the refugee camp.

难民营问题的最佳解决方案。

And since then,

从那时起，

I've been on a quest to make education more accessible

我一直在寻求通过使用棋盘游戏，

and more fun and engaging for children within Kyangwali refugee camp

让 Kyangwali 难民营的孩子们

through the use of board games.

更容易接受教育， 更有趣，更有吸引力。

And if you don't mind,

如果你不介意，

I'm going to share with you how it all happened.

我会和你分享这一切是怎么发生的。

One year before, in 2015,

2015 年，

I was lucky and got an opportunity to go

我很幸运，有机会去

and study at African Leadership Academy,

非洲领导学院学习，

located in Johannesburg, South Africa.

在南非约翰内斯堡。

And here I was introduced to the idea of entrepreneurship for the first time.

在这里，我第一次被 介绍了创业的概念。

And my amazing teachers taught me

我那些了不起的老师告诉我，

that entrepreneurs were simply problem solvers.

企业家只是解决问题的人。

And I immediately knew that I wanted to work on an education problem.

我立刻知道我想解决一个教育问题。

The first idea I thought: I could build a primary school.

我想到的第一个想法是： 我可以建一所小学。

More children would access learning spaces,

更多的孩子将进入学习空间，

teachers would not have the problem of overcrowded classrooms.

教师将不会面临教室拥挤的问题。

But the problem was I was 19 years old, didn’t have the money,

但问题是，我19岁，没有钱，

didn't have the skills of what it took to build a primary school.

没有建造小学所需的技能。

The second idea I thought:

我想的第二个想法是：

I could advocate for a well-equipped library.

我可以倡导建立一个 设备齐全的图书馆。

With this, we would have enough textbooks in the library,

这样，我们的图书馆里 就会有足够的课本，

and children would have enough reading materials.

孩子们也会有足够的阅读材料。

They would do it at school in performing in the national exams.

他们会在学校参加全国考试。

However, I had one issue with the library.

然而，我对图书馆有一个问题。

You see, food can be scarce in the refugee camp,

难民营里的食物可能很少，

and several times when I showed up at school,

有几次当我出现在学校时，

I personally remembered every time I entered in the library,

我记得每次我走进图书馆时，

all I could think about was food.

我能想到的都是食物。

More than anything, I needed a solution that was cheap,

最重要的是，我需要 一个廉价的解决方案，

a solution that was credible,

一个可信的解决方案

and something that would be very exciting to the children.

以及对孩子们来说 非常令人兴奋的东西。

Something that somehow would help these children

某种方式可以帮助这些孩子

forget about their hunger and then engage with running.

忘记饥饿， 然后开始跑步。

But also something that would help teachers have control

但也有助于教师控制

on overcrowded classrooms.

过度拥挤的教室。

But most importantly,

但最重要的是，

help children engage with algebra, with the science they were learning,

帮助孩子们学习代数 和他们正在学习的科学，

and have fun every single day they came to school.

并在他们来到学校的每一天 都玩得开心。

And so even though I had never taken drawing classes,

所以，尽管我从未上过绘画课，

I picked up a pencil and got some courage to start making sketches

我还是拿起了一支铅笔， 鼓起勇气开始画

of what would be my first board game.

我的第一个棋盘游戏。

I also generated a number of trivia questions

我还提出了一些琐事问题，

and then called up my former primary school teacher in Kyangwali refugee camp.

然后给我 Kyangwali 难民营的 前小学老师打电话。

And I asked if I could visit my primary school once again.

我问我是否可以 再去参观我的小学。

He was generous, and he said yes.

他很慷慨，他答应了。

When I showed up at my former primary school,

当我出现在我以前的小学时，

the kids were excited,

孩子们都很兴奋，

and most of them jumped out of their seats

当我告诉他们我手里拿的是 一个棋盘游戏时，

when I told them what I held in my hands was a board game.

他们中的大多数人 都从座位上跳了下来。

Surprisingly, none of them actually knew even how the game was played.

令人惊讶的是，他们甚至都不知道 游戏是如何进行的。

But heading towards the board game, they were thrilled.

但在走向棋盘游戏时， 他们非常兴奋。

Working with the teachers and the school administration,

通过与老师和学校管理部门合作，

they give me about one hour to test out the game for the next couple weeks.

他们给了我大约一个小时的时间 来测试接下来几周的游戏。

And the game was a huge success.

结果游戏取得了巨大的成功。

So much so, that the next morning my mom woke me out of bed

第二天早上， 妈妈把我从床上叫醒，

telling me that there was a group of children

告诉我有一群

wearing my school uniform, looking for me.

穿着我校服的孩子在找我。

I was still confused because it was about 6am in the morning.

我那时很困惑， 因为那是早上 6 点左右。

But I woke up out of my bed, still in my night dress actually,

但我仍旧从床上醒来， 还穿着睡衣，

and then opened the door.

然后打开了门。

There was about six children,

大约有六个孩子，

and when I looked at them,

当我看着他们时，

there were about two faces that I could recognize.

我能认出大约两张脸。

There was James and Patrick,

有詹姆斯和帕特里克，

two of the children I had worked with the previous day.

他们是我前一天 一起玩游戏的两个孩子。

And with the most innocent faces that I have ever seen,

面对着我见过的最无辜的面孔，

they were like, “Could you come and join us at school,

他们就像在说： “你能来和我们一起上学，

and then we play the game before school starts?”

然后我们在开学前玩游戏吗？”

And looking at their faces, there was no way I was going to say no.

看着他们的脸， 我无法拒绝。

I said, "I'll dress up and meet you over by school."

我说：“我去梳洗一番， 在学校见你们。”

And this group of amazing children became my early testers.

这群神奇的孩子成为了 我的早期测试者。

We would play the game in the morning,

我们会在早上玩游戏，

and then in the afternoon, as they waited for their afternoon shift.

然后在下午， 因为他们在等待下午的班。

And today,

今天，

the game has evolved into what my team and I at My Home Stars,

这个游戏已经演变成了

a nonprofit we are running in Uganda,

我和我在乌干达运营的非营利组织 My Home Stars 的团队

have called the 5 STA-Z educational board game.

所称的 5 STA-Z 教育棋盘游戏。

And here is how the 5 STA-Z education board works.

这是 5 STA-Z 教育棋盘 的工作原理。

At the beginning,

一开始，

a classroom divides itself into groups of five children.

一个教室分成五个孩子组成的小组。

And these children begin interacting with one another

这些孩子开始就我们

on questions and content we've developed

与 16 名教师合作开发的问题

in partnership with a group of 16 teachers.

和内容相互交流。

All this content is a reflection of the actual content

所有这些内容都反映了

covered in the Ugandan educational curriculum of mathematics,

乌干达数学、

English, science and social studies.

英语、科学和社会研究教育课程 所涵盖的实际内容。

And as they interact,

当他们互动时，

they get to earn points for every trivia question they get right.

他们每答对一个琐事问题 都能获得分数。

And they use these points to advance around the star-shaped board

他们利用这些点在星形板周围前进，

with a goal of being the first one to enter the middle

目标是成为第一个进入中间

and take on the big yellow star,

并与大黄星较量的人，

which usually gets children very excited.

这往往会让孩子们非常兴奋。

My team and I also have worked together to incorporate game mechanics

我和我的团队还共同努力， 将游戏机制例如机会和危险

such as chance and jeopardy,

融入其中，

where children actually can earn extra points

孩子们可以在合作 时获得额外的分数，

when they collaborate and help each other with difficult trivia questions.

并在棘手的琐事问题上相互帮助。

This has been intended to make sure

这是为了确保

that children actually are learning the components of communication

孩子们真正学习交流的组成部分，

and working together in teams.

并在团队中共同工作。

But also it makes learning become more child-centered.

但它也使学习变得更以儿童为中心。

And actually, teachers can focus on groups of children

事实上， 教师可以把注意力集中在那些

that are struggling most,

最艰苦奋斗的儿童群体上，

a model that we are finding to be very helpful

我们发现这种模式

in communities such as refugee camps,

在难民营等社区非常有用，

where most of the time we don't have enough teachers.

因为大多数情况下 我们没有足够的教师。

And there's one particular reason

有一个特别的原因，

as to why my team and I decided to call the game the 5 STA-Z.

让我和我的团队决定 将这个游戏称为 5 STA-Z。

And it's simply the conviction that no matter where you're from

这只是一种信念， 无论你来自何方，

and the current existing circumstances,

在当前的环境下，

we can all reach for the stars.

我们都可以摘到星星。

And like Neil deGrasse Tyson would put it,

正如尼尔·德格拉斯·泰森所说，

not only do we live among the stars,

我们不仅生活在群星之中，

the stars themselves live within us.

群星本身也生活在我们体内。

And that includes children from refugee camps.

其中包括来自难民营的儿童。

And as children also start playing the game,

当孩子们也开始玩这个游戏时，

we encourage them not to use their actual names,

我们鼓励他们不要使用自己的真名，

but actually to take on the characters of the five brightest stars in the galaxy.

而是用银河系中 最亮的五颗星的名字。

And that’s Canopus, Rigel, Arcturus, Vega and Sirius.

那就是老人星、参宿七、 大角星、织女星和天狼星。

And also, when we hand them the board game,

而且，当我们把 棋盘游戏交给他们时，

we remind them that they are already stars

我们会提醒他们， 他们已经是明星了，

who are interacting with one another

他们彼此互动，

to help each other just shine a little bit brighter.

互相帮助， 只是让自己变得更明亮一些。

And perhaps our biggest impact was realized in 2020 and 2021.

也许我们最大的影响是在 2020 年和 2021 实现的。

Like most of you remember,

正如你们大多数人所记得的，

these are the two years when COVID-19 pandemic decided to visit us.

这两年正是新冠疫情到来的时候。

And during this time, classes in the refugee camp closed,

在此期间， 难民营的课程停课，

and children were sent home with no way of accessing learning resources.

孩子们被送回家， 无法获得学习资源。

My team and I took on the challenge to make learning happen within homes,

我和我的团队接受了 在家中进行学习的挑战，

and we produced about 1,000 game packages

我们制作了 大约 1000 个游戏包，

that we gave to teachers and community leaders.

并送给了老师和社区领导者。

And with this, we’re able to help about 5,000 children

通过这个，我们能够 帮助大约 5000 名儿童

to access home learning in the most fun and engaging way

通过使用棋盘游戏， 以最有趣、最吸引人的方式

through the use of board games.

进行家庭学习。

Today, we are working with five schools in Kyangwali refugee camp

我们如今与Kyangwali 难民营的五所学校合作，

where we’ve actually been able to work with school administration

在那里， 我们能够与学校管理部门合作，

to make the 5 STA-Z part of the learning schedules.

使 5 STA-Z 成为 学习日程的一部分。

In the morning,

早上，

children spend the morning time learning the normal classes

孩子们把上午的时间花在学习

they're supposed to take in the curriculum

他们应该参加的课程上，

and then spend about one hour in the afternoon

然后在下午花大约一个小时

to put what they've learned in the morning into practice.

把他们早上学到的东西付诸实践。

Beyond being a game that is helping children master the curriculum content

除了作为一款 帮助孩子们掌握课程内容

and do well in the national exam,

并在全国考试中 取得优异成绩的游戏之外，

my team and I are committed to continue building the 5 STA-Z

我和我的团队还致力于将 5 STA-Z

into a learning resource

打造成一种学习资源，

that will continue to put a smile on these children's faces,

让孩子们每天上课时都能保持笑容，

every single day they come to class

这是一款

and a game that can continue to inspire them

能继续激励孩子们

into what is possible for them in the future.

学习未来可能发生的事情的游戏。

And also, we are committed to continue building this game

此外， 我们致力于继续将这一游戏

into a game that we shall be able to make available to other children

打造成一个

in other refugee camps across Uganda

能够为乌干达其他难民营

and other countries across the African continent.

和非洲大陆其他国家的儿童 提供的游戏。

In the past one year,

在过去一年中，

about 100 million people across the world have been displaced,

全世界约有一亿人流离失所，

and many of these are the result of a civil war.

其中许多人是因为内战导致的。

From Kyangwali refugee camp in western Uganda

从乌干达西部的 Kyangwali 难民营

to New York City

到纽约，

and standing in front of you today and engaging with you

今天站在你面前， 与你接触是

is a big, big, big privilege.

一项巨大的特权。

And the only reason I'm able to do so and stand in front of you,

我能这样做 并站在你们面前的唯一原因

is because I've been given an opportunity to go to school.

是我得到了上学的机会。

And while board games such as the 5 STA-Z

虽然像 5 STA-Z 这样的棋盘游戏

will not be able to solve some of the world's complex problems

无法解决

of the 21st century,

21 世纪世界上的一些复杂问题，

like refugee crisis and displacement,

比如难民危机和流离失所问题，

I strongly believe that you and I that are here today,

但我坚信，

that happen to be a little bit privileged,

今天在座的你们和我

bear the responsibility to continue building platforms and systems

都有责任继续构建平台和系统，

that will help refugee children imagine a better future for themselves,

帮助难民儿童， 帮助他们的家庭和社区

their families and their communities.

想象更美好的未来。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）