USask team wins international teaching award for Canadian history game
USask team wins international teaching award for Canadian history game
USask team wins international teaching award for Canadian history game
Chris Putnam
May, 20, 2025
Summary
A University of Saskatchewan team developed Homesteaders, a tabletop game that immerses players in the challenges of prairie settlement in late 19th- and early 20th-century Canada. Designed to foster historical empathy and awareness of systemic inequality, the game won the 2025 D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning. Players assume diverse family roles, facing real historical dilemmas shaped by race, gender, and class. Over 500 people across four provinces have played it, with students reporting deep emotional engagement. The team plans to expand the game’s reach to schools and Métis communities, aiming to promote critical reflection on Canada’s settler history.
Reference
Putnam, C. (2025, May 20). USask team wins international teaching award for Canadian history game. University of Saskatchewan News. https://news.usask.ca/articles/community/2025/usask-team-wins-international-teaching-award-for-canadian-history-game.php