This class teaches problem solving skills and teamwork, some of the most important skills.

Learners will practice how to approach a fresh problem, analyze that problem, and then come up with a solution that they can execute on. This will be done in teams, where each individual will have to advocate for their ideas and, as a group, decide which solution to go with.

Afterwards, they will reflect on their decisions. Did they understand the problem well? Did they decide on the right solution? And what could they have done differently to arrive at a better solution?

This is learning while doing. Playing strategy games in a group in this guided way is a great way to develop some of the most important life skills. This methodology is inspired by Synthesis. 

Example topics and themes:

Week of July 22nd: Playing Colonist/Catan: students learn the rules of Catan and then go into team breakout rooms. In these rooms, they will devise strategies together before competing against the other team in 1-2 games. Then they will reflect on the games and strategies devised.
Week of July 29th: Playing Polytopia or Chess: similar to the above description, but these games have less chance.
Week of August 5th: Playing 2048: this is an example of a non-adversarial game where different teams will try to get the highest score.
Week of August 12th: Tower defense games: a strategy game classic that tests strategic thinking with many unknowns.