**Before enrolling please note that Usernames/Gamer Handles will be seen by other learners enrolled.  At times gamer handles/usernames may have to be shared with the teacher to connect to each private server to participate in a specific game or class. Upon enrolling in any "Artful Gaming with Maryam Awan" classes, families are giving consent for their learners to participate in classes where gamer handles will be used and referred to by the educator and learners in class for class purposes only, as needed.  Learners are not to ask for or accept friend requests with one another per Outschool Trust and Safety Guidelines.**

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What separates Maryam Awan’s gaming classes from others? 

Let’s face it; teens get the short end of the stick. 

While children 12 and under have endless ways of socializing, teens are far too often clumped together with kids younger than them for convenience. 

The truth is teens desire a space of their own! 

While teens can get along and work well with younger kids, they are on a totally different plain. 

They have different social skills, different joking styles, different topics of conversation, and are definitely at a different maturity level than those younger than them. 

They want and deserve to have social outlets where they can be and act their age, with other teens, without holding back for younger children. 

This is where Maryam Awan’s classes come in. If you are looking for a genuinely teen-focused and relaxed safe environment for teens to exercise fundamental Life and Social Skills through gaming or to simply make friends, you are in the right place!

With Maryam Awan, teens (and mature 12-year-olds) not only spend time gaming with one another they are building genuine relationships while exercising social and life skills in ways that are entirely natural for them. 

Through supervision and the guidance of a National Certified Counselor and Bullying Prevention Specialist, teens finally have a safe place purely for themselves.  

Maryam Awan has been working with children and teens as an educator, counselor, life coach, and mod for over twenty years and has successfully helped teen after teen build social communities with one another casually and effectively through her gaming classes and social hours. 
So hit the pause button on life and enroll your teen in one of her fun classes today! 

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Weekly Schedule:

Each Week learners will log into class to socialize and strategize with other gamers with the option of working on socializing in ways in which they prefer. The social hour is heavily learner-directed to help foster genuine social connections, independence, and a sense of autonomy through the challenges of gaming. Each week gamers will either participate in tournament-style gaming or friendlies. New challenging themes will be presented each week. 



Compete. Spectate. Play. Strategize. Socialize.

Whoever your "Main" is it's time to show off your skills while learning new ones, as we meet for some quirky, chill, and respectful PvP battles. This is the perfect setting for teens who want to wind down with some friendly competition while working on social life skills and good sportsmanship.

During this weekly social hour, teen gamers, depending on the weekly schedule,  can join in on 1 v 1 friendlies, battle in groups, participate in themed tournaments or simply take a break and put their social skills to the test while waiting for a new match to begin.

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A Note About Technology and Troubleshooting During This Class

Before enrolling in this session please be aware that this is not a tech class. This is a heavily “kid-powered” Life Skills and Social Class. Out of respect for all learners and families, very little time is allotted to assist in connection/technology issues.  This includes most components of online/group gaming, mics issues, headphone issues, Zoom, Wifi connections, and all components of online/group gaming. Learners and their families:

*Must* have a basic knowledge of the technology and devices used in each individual home. Due to the wide variety of devices and technology, the teacher holds no responsibility for the troubleshooting or tech support of learners who have difficulties connecting to the games/servers used in this class. Families are welcome to do research during class to help their learners troubleshoot when tech issues arise during class. If a learner or family experiences sound, mic, and issues related to Zoom the teacher may be able to assist. If the teacher cannot help efficiently please reach out to Outschool Support.  

*Must* know how to access and effectively use and/or add the private servers and/or online games used in this class. Please do research and work with your learner *before* class on how to connect with the teacher with usernames if needed, connect to/add private servers if necessary, type in-game codes if needed, and all components of online gaming.  Many of these gaming classes are high-energy, social, and move quickly. Out of the respect for all learners who are here to game, practice life skills, and socialize, in-class time cannot be spent on extensive tech support and troubleshooting. That being said, we sometimes have helpful learners in our groups. As part of the life skills component, they may be invited to exercise their leadership skills to assist with tech to the extent of their knowledge. Please note, the teacher or learners are in no way responsible for conducting extensive tech support. 

*Must* understand that at times learners and families will experience server and in-game technical issues which are out of the teacher’s control. Additionally, to the ones listed above, other tech issues include learners disconnecting from games or servers and learners unable to connect/re-connect to servers due to unforeseen circumstances.  

*Must* understand that during a loss in a game and/or disconnection issues some learners may have to wait for one game to end before joining another round. Wait times vary as some games may take longer at times to conclude depending on the number of players and skill levels. 

*Must* be aware that out of respect of learners and their families and in order to preserve the security and safety of all learners class recordings are only shared with the Outschool Trust and Safety Teams. All Class Recording Requests will be denied. 

*Must* be aware that the “mute all” button is used at times when gaming. Please remind your learner that if they are not heard they may be muted or have mic issues. Learners are free to unmute when they are able and when mute is not required for the game. Also, note if a learner does not get a reply from other learners or the teacher there may be tech issues involved where the learner was not heard. Some learners are more soft-spoken and may need to increase their mic volumes when speaking. Another option is to use in-game chat when available. If a learner does not get a response they may also use Zoom Chat to connect with the teacher. 

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A few things to note about the style and energy of this class: 

1. In this class energies are high. There are several battles going on simultaneously while gamers socialize. The volume of the class is high and energetic which is a natural response to groups while gaming. This format and social style may not be a good fit for those who prefer a quieter and more structured environment. Learners may express themselves excitedly and talk over one another as they game which is a natural reaction and normal response to high-energy gaming. 

2. This is not a "how to play" or "how to socialize" class but rather a safe and moderated space for teens to work on their personal, private, or public goals including sportsmanship, social skills, and strategies through gaming in ways in which they choose while competing with one another. 

3. During tournament days there will be brackets set. At times we will have Double Elimination Brackets which have a "winners bracket" and "losers brackets". Please be aware that these are standard terms for Double Elimination Brackets for tournaments and are not meant to offend. Should your learner be sensitive about these terms, please discuss if this is the right gaming setting for them before enrolling? 

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Learning Goals: Learners in each session may choose to focus on the following and more depending on their personal goals:

Critical Thinking - Playing electronic sports helps in thinking critically while helping to analyze and evaluate a problem and look for its solution.

Improve quick thinking - games like Super Smash Bros Ultimate keeps gamers thinking and on their toes with spontaneous reactions 

Stress Relief - when coming into gaming with the goal of enjoying a challenge and having fun (whether you win or lose) gaming can be a great source of stress relief. Teens have many pressures they must deal with and gaming is a great way to take some time to relax with friends.

Learners will also have opportunities to take on leadership roles, show empathy, collaborate, build a community through empathy, obtain appropriate social skills, respect, and gain a sense of ownership, autonomy, and gaming in a variety of ways in the Life Skills class.

Social Skills

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Materials Needed: 
- A copy of the game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Nintendo Switch
- A subscription to Nintendo Online
- Strong Wi-Fi access to play effectively 

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How Do My Social Gaming Classes Work?

I place all of my gaming classes in the Social and Life Skills category for a very productive reason. Amazing progress and goals can be achieved through gamification!

Gaming with live groups, in moderated and supervised settings, offers a safe and inclusive space for learners and gamers to be faced with many real-life decisions, challenges, and goals. Through my classes, without handholding, I encourage gamers to take the lead and navigate these challenges safely and at a pace and in a social way that is comfortable to them with the goal of learners gaining confidence, independence, and autonomy. 

Social skills like patience, empathy, leadership, conflict resolution, how to ask for help, how to help others, confidence and even just being happy with being yourself are practiced as opportunities arise in my classes. 

Those who are on the introverted side are honored and respected just as much as those on the extroverted side and everything in between! No one will ever be put on the spot to present themselves in ways in which they are not comfortable. 

We are all works in progress! 

As a National Certified Counselor, my training includes a gradual approach to easing children and teens into new social groups, similar to that of easing a new fish into a fish tank. This approach is used for all sessions allowing new member gets a feel for the environment, our gaming world, and the communication styles of other players. 

Each session allows players to gain naturally gain independence and autonomy by letting *them* choose what style of socialization and gaming they prefer.

In each class, we have a wide variety of gamers with different social norms. Some are very outspoken and continually speak up during class while others prefer to communicate by typing in the chat with one another and some simply enjoy being a part of our group while quietly playing along in ways that are comfortable for them.

Essentially, in my social sessions, I foster a stress-free environment where learners have a comfortable and inclusive space to simply be *who they are and how they choose to be* in social settings without pressure. 

This approach builds stronger connections with others but most importantly creates a sense of confidence, independence, autonomy, and a feeling of belonging without having to change who they are. 

In all of my gaming classes, learners lead the way in how *they* choose to present themselves. This is a great way for learners to make their own informed decisions on how they want to socialize and game. This approach allows personal social goal-setting. Learners can choose to practice different social styles in a safe and inclusive setting to see what clicks well with them.

Striving to create a safe space without pressure in a chill and inclusive environment, please feel free to reach out any time. Parent/Teacher communication is very important to me, so should you or your child have any concerns or issues, please reach out and we can discuss and collaborate on how to make things better as needed. I have found that parent/teacher communication really helps in creating the quality experience that learners look for. 

Should you find that your child is looking for collaboration or more engagement than they are getting, please let me know and we will work on ways to help them achieve their social goals! 

Often, learners are shy and don't speak up so there is no way of telling whether or not they would like to join in on some collaborative action, so any communication before or after each class is always welcome. 

While my classes are not “how to play” or “how to socialize” structured classes they are wonderful atmospheres for learners to showcase who they are and give them avenues to grow in the ways in which they choose to. 

If your learner comes to class and is on the quiet side, I will always honor and respect their choice! They will never be asked to turn their cameras on or to speak up and socialize, unless *they* choose to, after the initial daily video verification. I will always encourage engagement and at the same time let them lead the way! 

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A Note About COPPA Compliance:

As Outschool continues to improve its safety standards for learners, starting January 2022, classes are now required to be COPPA compliant for children 12 and under. For this class, since learners are under the age of 12 please review the following information to assure you have assisted your young learners in creating a safe account.

Nintendo Entertainment states in their Privacy Policy:

"Information about children
We do not knowingly collect, use or share personal information from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent or as permitted by law. Where a parent or legal guardian has provided consent, the child may be able to use his or her Nintendo Account to play certain third-party games and applications that are not published by Nintendo. Parents or guardians may review, modify, or delete the child’s personal information, or withdraw consent, by contacting us using the contact information provided at the end of this privacy policy, and may manage which third-party games and applications can access and use the child’s Nintendo Account information through your Nintendo Account profile settings."

Should you need more information on Nintendo's Privacy Policy please visit the following link:
https://www.nintendo.com/privacy-policy/