Some people think of esports as just another form of screen time. However, in the Fresno Unified School District in California, esports is one of the fastest-growing pathways in the career and technical education program, which has a 98.6% graduation rate. Esports increases students’ ability to communicate and collaborate at the high level that local and national employers say is missing from most current applicants. Students also develop critical thinking and strategic planning skills they need for today’s entry-level workforce.
Here’s how Fresno is building an esports program that prepares students for their future careers.
Make the connection: Esports as a CTE pathway
During the pandemic, I sought ways to engage students and provide them with the support they needed. Because of my experience launching programs, creating curriculum and coaching others, I planned to launch an esports league. Around the same time, I met Stephen Reed, the creator of all the Make & Model and Code-2-Create Minecraft Esports Worlds. Through my collaboration with him, Fresno USD became the first district in the US to launch an elementary Minecraft esports league.
Initially, I expected about 12 teachers to participate in the program. From the beginning, however, 29 teachers from 26 campuses showed up! Even in those early days, they recognized the potential value of the program and the impact it could have. Esports was able to continue during the pandemic when little else was. During a time when people were simply unable to come together in person, they could connect online.
When I looked into ways to view esports as a CTE pathway, I found Gameplan, which has resources for many areas I wanted to cover as part of the arts, music and entertainment pathway for esports. I changed the lens of our CTE pathway to incorporate existing CTE coursework, such as broadcasting with esports-specific broadcasting content. I also saw the importance of including health and wellness with esports content and added sections on exercise, eating and sleeping habits to our clubs and summer programs.
Our CTE course pathways require a minimum of two classes. We started with a broad overview of what esports is, known as Esports Essentials. To address CTE alignment specifically for arts, media and entertainment, we added Esports Creative Media, which is, in effect, a video production class. Finally, I am creating a class for Gameplan on streaming and shoutcasting, which is the esports name for color commentary. These course pathways provide a comprehensive overview of what students need to know and prepare them for future careers in esports. As the program grows, the course offerings will continue to expand.
Getting students excited about real-world projects
I have a friend who talks about making learning engaging for students by saying, “Let’s cover the broccoli with chocolate.” For me, esports is the chocolate on top of the broccoli that is CTE learning. Students are enthusiastic about esports, which encourages them to truly engage with the underlying subject matter and go deeper with their overall learning. For example, when graphic design teachers ask their students to create logos for esports T-shirts, students get excited about it. That means they’re more likely to go the extra mile, potentially using tools or strategies they wouldn’t otherwise have tried. Not only is it an exciting project, but it’s also one with real-world stakes.
At Fresno’s esports tournaments, video production teachers have students stream, broadcast and shoutcast the event. A local media nonprofit brings out a broadcast van, and students broadcast the tournament to our local TV stations and on Twitch. They’re getting real-world experience, and the videos they make go into students’ portfolios for the future. College admissions officers and future employers will see what they’ve accomplished through hands-on opportunities that make them stand out in a crowded field of candidates.
Taking esports skills into the real world
As they engage with these great projects, students learn many skills that they can take with them into the real world. It’s not just about the players. Every tournament requires a host of other students doing jobs that help them develop transferable, useful skills. What can students do with their esports experience? Career pathways include:
- Marketing, including creating social media posts, flyers, overlays and transitions in graphic design programs
- Streaming, broadcasting, event planning and project managing
- Esports-related athletic trainers, physical trainers and other medical pathways
- Videography
- Game design, coding and software engineering
There are so many options out there. Think of it like the Super Bowl. A handful of people get to play in those games, but there are hundreds of other jobs and tasks that go into making it a reality. The same thing is true of an esports tournament. For every player, several people are working in the background to ensure that the event goes off smoothly. When students are engaged with these tournaments and participating in the events to the fullest, they’re also developing those real-world skills with the support of coaches and mentors.
Coaching more than the game
Coaches are essential to the esports process. Just as in traditional sports, coaches aren’t just teaching their esports athletes how to play the game. They’re also helping them develop essential soft skills, including:
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
Esports offer all of the opportunities and skill development of traditional sports. And esports as a CTE pathway helps prepare students not only for the sports themselves but also for college and career opportunities. This experience can prove transformative for many students, offering them the support they need to excel in their future fields.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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