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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

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

在不到一歲的時候，

a violent civil war broke out in my home country

我的祖國剛果民主共和國 爆發了一場激烈的內戰。

of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As a result, my family was forced to flee.

結果造成我的家人被迫逃離。

And as luck would have it,

幸運的是，

we found safety in Kyangwali refugee camp,

我們在克洋瓜里難民營找到了安全，

located in western Uganda,

它位在西烏干達，

where I grew up from and have learned to call home

過去二十四年，我在那裡長大 並學會稱它為「家」。

for the past 24 years.

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

我父母每天早上五點 就會起床前往田地，

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

他們在那裡耕種我們的小菜園，

to plant maize and beans to feed the family.

種植玉蜀黍和豆子，給家人當食物。

And every evening when they came back home,

每天晚上他們回家時，

they would end the night in the same way.

他們都會用同樣的方式結束夜晚。

Usually, they would gather me and my siblings

通常，他們會把我和兄弟姐妹 找來並給我們打氣，

and would give us a pep talk

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

說明他們有多希望我們 能去上學並接受教育。

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

意外的是，我的父母都沒有上過學。

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

但對他們而言，

教育意味著在未來某個時點 能找到薪水優渥的工作。

at some point in the future.

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

這麼一來，我們就能 負擔得起一天的三餐。

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

我們也許能為家人建造 一間好看的房子，

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

或甚至決定把我們的家人 從難民營帶到城市裡。

And so when I started going to school,

所以，當我開始上學時，

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

我把這一點謹記在心 並認真看待學業。

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

雖然我只是個小孩子，

我仍然想辦法自己起床，

take all three goats to graze

帶三隻羊去吃草，再及時 趕回來穿好衣服去上學。

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

Classes in the refugee camp can be overcrowded.

難民營的班級都擁擠不堪。

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

一間教室裡，包括我在內 有近兩百個學生，

as I tried to focus and learn.

我試著專心學習。

But besides the problem of overcrowded classrooms,

但，除了教室太擠的問題之外，

we also had an issue whereby most of our learning

還有一個問題是，我們的學習大部分

was characterized by rote memorization.

都是靠死記硬背。

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

我們的日常是這樣的：我們去教室，

copied down notes that teachers gave us

抄下老師給我們的筆記，

and were expected to go back home

且我們應該要回家

[and] cram these in preparation for exams.

把這些都背下來，以準備考試。

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

老實說，我無法享受這種方式。

We barely interacted with our teachers and even amongst ourselves.

我們很少和老師有互動， 連我們自己之間也很少。

And even though as serious students,

就連認真的學生

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

通常也覺得學校非常無聊。

However, as I was growing up

然而，當我長大，

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

並習慣了早上去上學， 晚上回到家人身邊的慣例，

and then coming back to my family in the evening,

似乎有一件事，且只有一件事，

there seemed to be one thing and one thing only,

that truly held my attention,

真正能抓住我的注意力，

and that was the idea of playing games.

那就是玩遊戲。

And I most loved playing the game of football.

我最愛玩的遊戲是足球。

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

讓我先說明這裡最大最明顯的問題。

I know most of you love American football,

我知道各位大多很熱愛美式足球，

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

但那不是我在說的足球遊戲。

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

我才五呎三吋，以我的體型，

I truly can't play American football.

我真的不能玩美式足球。

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

所以我在講的是用腳踢的那種足球。

I also loved playing the cards of spades.

我也很愛玩黑桃王紙牌遊戲。

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

通常，下課後，

我會回家，拿一副紙牌，

and I would be holding a deck of cards.

And every time my parents saw me shuffling these cards,

每當我父母看到我在洗牌，

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

他們會胡思亂想以為我開始賭博了。

But I wasn't.

但我沒有，也許是因為 我那時沒有錢可以賭博。

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

No wonder,

也難怪，

while in high school in 2016,

2016 年就讀高中時，

the idea of gamification became the best solution

「遊戲化」這個點子成了

我所能想出能夠解決難民營 問題的最佳解決方案。

I thought about I could use

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

And since then,

從那之後，我便開始努力設法 讓教育變得更容易取得，

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

and more fun and engaging for children within Kyangwali refugee camp

更有趣，更吸引 克洋瓜里難民營的孩子，

through the use of board games.

靠的就是桌遊。

And if you don't mind,

如果各位不介意，

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

我想跟大家分享這是怎麼發生的。

One year before, in 2015,

前一年，2015 年，

I was lucky and got an opportunity to go

我很幸運，有機會能進到 非洲領導學院就讀，

and study at African Leadership Academy,

located in Johannesburg, South Africa.

地點在南非的約翰尼斯堡。

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

在那裡，我初次接觸到創業的概念。

And my amazing teachers taught me

那些很出色的老師教導我， 企業家就是解決問題的人。

that entrepreneurs were simply problem solvers.

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

而我馬上知道，我想要 投入處理教育問題。

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

我的第一個想法：

我可以建一所小學。

More children would access learning spaces,

能讓更多孩子有學習的空間，

teachers would not have the problem of overcrowded classrooms.

老師也不會有教室過度擁擠的問題。

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

但，問題是，我當時十九歲，

我沒有建造小學需要的錢和技能。

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

The second idea I thought:

我的第二個想法：

I could advocate for a well-equipped library.

我可以提倡打造 一間配備良好的圖書館。

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

這麼一來，圖書館中 就會有足夠的教科書，

and children would have enough reading materials.

孩子就會有足夠的閱讀素材。

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

他們能在學校練習準備國家考試。

However, I had one issue with the library.

然而，關於圖書館，我有一個問題。

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

要知道，在難民營中 食物是很稀少的，

and several times when I showed up at school,

好幾次，當我到學校時，

I personally remembered every time I entered in the library,

我記得每回我進入到圖書館，

all I could think about was food.

我腦中想的就只有食物。

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

我最需要的是一個便宜的解決方案，

a solution that was credible,

可靠的解決方案，且要 能讓孩子們非常興奮。

and something that would be very exciting to the children.

Something that somehow would help these children

要能夠以某種方式協助孩子 忘記飢餓，投入學習，

forget about their hunger and then engage with running.

But also something that would help teachers have control

也要讓老師能夠掌控 過度擁擠的教室。

on overcrowded classrooms.

But most importantly,

但最重要的是

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

要協助孩子投入代數， 投入他們在學習的科學，

and have fun every single day they came to school.

且每天上學時都能很開心。

And so even though I had never taken drawing classes,

所以，雖然我從來沒有上過繪畫課，

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

我仍拿起鉛筆，鼓起勇氣，

開始畫出我的第一個桌遊。

of what would be my first board game.

I also generated a number of trivia questions

我也設計出了一些知識問題，

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

接著打電話給我在克洋瓜里 難民營時的小學老師。

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

我詢問能不能讓我 再去造訪我的小學。

He was generous, and he said yes.

他很大方，他說可以。

When I showed up at my former primary school,

當我去我以前的小學時，

the kids were excited,

孩子們很興奮，

and most of them jumped out of their seats

當我告訴他們我拿的是桌遊時， 他們幾乎都從坐位上跳起來。

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

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

很意外的是，他們都不知道 要怎麼玩這個遊戲。

But heading towards the board game, they were thrilled.

但知道等下要玩桌遊，他們就很嗨。

Working with the teachers and the school administration,

我和老師及學校管理部門合作，

他們給我約一小時，測試 遊戲在接下來幾週的效果。

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

And the game was a huge success.

而遊戲大成功。

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

成功的程度到了隔天早上 我媽媽還來叫我起床，

telling me that there was a group of children

告訴我有一群孩子

wearing my school uniform, looking for me.

穿著我那所學校的制服，要找我。

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

我仍然很困惑， 因為那時是早上六點。

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

但，我起床了，還穿著睡衣，

and then opened the door.

接著去開門。

There was about six children,

有六個孩子，

and when I looked at them,

當我看著他們，

there were about two faces that I could recognize.

我認出了其中兩張面孔。

There was James and Patrick,

是詹姆士和派屈克，

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

我前一天才和這兩個孩子合作過。

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

他們有著我所見過最純真的臉孔，

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

他們說：「你能不能 跟我們一起來學校，

and then we play the game before school starts?”

在開始上課之前我們來玩遊戲？」

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

看著他們的臉，我實在不可能拒絕。

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

我說：「我換個衣服， 跟你們在學校碰面。」

And this group of amazing children became my early testers.

而這群很棒的孩子成了 我早期的測試對象。

We would play the game in the morning,

我們早上玩遊戲，

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

下午，在等下午班課程時也玩遊戲。

And today,

現在，這個遊戲演變成了 我和「My Home Star」團隊，

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

a nonprofit we are running in Uganda,

我們在烏干達經營的非營利機構，

have called the 5 STA-Z educational board game.

所稱的「5 STA-Z」教育桌遊。

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

「5 STA-Z」教育桌遊的玩法如下。

At the beginning,

一開始，

a classroom divides itself into groups of five children.

全班的孩子要分成五組。

And these children begin interacting with one another

這些孩子開始彼此互動，

on questions and content we've developed

用我們和十六名老師合作 設計的問題和內容來互動。

in partnership with a group of 16 teachers.

All this content is a reflection of the actual content

所有遊戲的內容都反映出 烏干達教育課程的實際內容，

covered in the Ugandan educational curriculum of mathematics,

包括數學、

English, science and social studies.

英文、科學，及社會學科。

And as they interact,

他們互動時，

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

只要答對知識問題，就能得分。

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

他們用這些得分， 在星型的遊戲板上前進，

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

目標是要搶先進入中央， 奪取那顆大黃星，

and take on the big yellow star,

which usually gets children very excited.

這通常會讓孩子們非常興奮。

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

我和我的團隊也合作整合納入 運氣和危險等遊戲技巧，

such as chance and jeopardy,

where children actually can earn extra points

讓孩子在遇到困難的知識問題時

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

若能合作和協助彼此， 就能賺取額外的分數。

This has been intended to make sure

這麼做的目的是要確保孩子 能學到溝通的要素，

that children actually are learning the components of communication

and working together in teams.

並能團隊合作。

But also it makes learning become more child-centered.

這也能讓學習變成以孩子 為中心，且，實際上，

And actually, teachers can focus on groups of children

老師也能把焦點放在 那些最需要協助的孩子。

that are struggling most,

a model that we are finding to be very helpful

我們發現這個模型在難民營 這種社區非常有助益，

in communities such as refugee camps,

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

因為在那裡通常沒有足夠的老師。

And there's one particular reason

而我和我的團隊決定把它稱為 「5 STA-Z」是有理由的。

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

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

很單純就是一種信念， 相信不論你來自何處，

and the current existing circumstances,

不論目前現有的條件如何，

we can all reach for the stars.

我們都能去摘星。

And like Neil deGrasse Tyson would put it,

如奈爾‧德葛拉斯‧泰森所言，

not only do we live among the stars,

不僅是我們生活在星星之中，

the stars themselves live within us.

星星本身也生活在我們之中。

And that includes children from refugee camps.

那包括了難民營的孩子。

And as children also start playing the game,

孩子們開始玩這個遊戲，

we encourage them not to use their actual names,

我們鼓勵他們不要 用他們的真名，而改用

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

銀河系中最明亮的 五個星星的角色名稱，

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

也就是老人星、參宿七、大角星、

織女星，以及天狼星。

And also, when we hand them the board game,

此外，把桌遊交給他們時我們會 提醒他們他們已經是星星了，

we remind them that they are already stars

who are interacting with one another

這些星星會彼此互動， 協助彼此變得更明亮。

to help each other just shine a little bit brighter.

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

也許，我們最大的衝擊 發生在 2020 年及 2021 年。

Like most of you remember,

大家應該記得，

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

這兩年是新冠肺炎疫情 來造訪我們的兩年。

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

在這段時間，

難民營完全停課，

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

孩子被送回家，無法取得學習資源。

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

我和我的團隊接受挑戰， 設法把學習帶到家中，

and we produced about 1,000 game packages

我們製造了大約一千個遊戲包，

that we gave to teachers and community leaders.

交給老師和社區領導者。

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

靠它們，我們協助了約五千個孩子，

to access home learning in the most fun and engaging way

讓他們透過運用

這些桌遊，以最有趣 好玩的方式在家學習。

through the use of board games.

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

現今，我們和克洋瓜里 難民營的五所學校合作，

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

我們真的能和那裡的管理部門合作，

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

讓「5 STA-Z」成為 學習課表的一部分。

In the morning,

早上，

children spend the morning time learning the normal classes

是孩子們正常上課學習的時間，

they're supposed to take in the curriculum

他們應該要去上課，

下午則會花約一小時的時間，

and then spend about one hour in the afternoon

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

把他們早上所學的拿來實用。

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

除了只是用遊戲來協助 孩子精通課程內容

and do well in the national exam,

並考好國家考試之外，

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

我和我的團隊也投入持續將 「5 STA-Z」發展為學習資源，

into a learning resource

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

希望能繼續讓這些孩子們笑口常開，

every single day they come to class

每天開心去上課，

and a game that can continue to inspire them

也期盼這個遊戲能持續鼓舞他們，

在未來能實現更多可能性。

into what is possible for them in the future.

And also, we are committed to continue building this game

我們也努力持續將這個遊戲發展成為

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

其他難民營的孩子也能取得的遊戲，

in other refugee camps across Uganda

不僅能遍及烏干達各地， 還有非洲大陸的其他國家。

and other countries across the African continent.

In the past one year,

在過去一年，全世界有 大約一億人流離失所，

about 100 million people across the world have been displaced,

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

許多都是因為內戰所造成。

From Kyangwali refugee camp in western Uganda

從西烏干達的克洋瓜里難民營

to New York City

到紐約市，今天站在 各位面前和各位交流，

and standing in front of you today and engaging with you

is a big, big, big privilege.

是很大很大很大的榮幸。

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

我能做到這些並站在 各位面前的唯一原因，

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

是因為我被賜予了去上學的機會。

And while board games such as the 5 STA-Z

雖然像「5 STA-Z」這類桌遊沒辦法

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

解決二十一世紀全世界 面臨的複雜問題，

of the 21st century,

like refugee crisis and displacement,

如難民危機及流離失所，

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

我堅信，今天在這裡的我和各位，

that happen to be a little bit privileged,

我們這些運氣比較好一些的人，

bear the responsibility to continue building platforms and systems

都有責任要持續發展平台和系統

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

來協助難民孩童想像更美好的未來，

為他們自己、他們的家人， 以及他們的社區。

their families and their communities.

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）