about

“Unlocking Student Potential Through Gamified Learning, Play, & Narrative Engagement.”

Teacher, Speaker, EdTech Innovator, and Co-Founder of Building Heroez.

Hi, I’m Kade, the Wizard, Wells.

I believe that when learning feels like an adventure, every student can become the hero of their own story.

For over 12 years, I have used Dungeons & Dragons, game theory, and product-based experiential learning in the classroom to drive student achievement. What began as a way to engage readers and writers quickly revealed a deeper truth: D&D is inherently educational. The game requires reading comprehension, critical text analysis, and complex problem-solving. Its core mechanics are scaffolded, differentiated, and gradually released—the exact principles of effective educational design.
Through my weekly games with students, I have witnessed growth that consistently outpaces standard academic measures. Beyond academia, tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons carry immense therapeutic value by fostering collaboration, emotional resilience, and social development.

Today, as Co-Founder of Building Heroez, my mission is to help educators, leaders, and schools harness the academic and therapeutic power of tabletop games to transform learning.

Academic Partnerships & Continuing Education
Graduate-Level Teacher Training: Oversee and instruct a graduate-credit course in partnership with the University of Sioux Falls, training educators how to utilize D&D in the classroom for continuing education credit.
Research & Field Work: Pioneer research on the academic and therapeutic benefits of TTRPGs, highlighting how game mechanics improve literacy, STEM learning, and student engagement.

Key Keynotes, Research Presentations, & Media Recognition
My research and methods have been presented across international education platforms, industry conferences, and national media outlets:

Selected Presentations & Keynotes:
SXSW EDU Conference
Games for Change NYC
Serious Play Conference (Montreal & Live Events)
European Literacy Conference (Klagenfurt, Austria)
TCCA Conference (Houston)
TEDx Talk on gamified learning and D&D
National Features & Press: Highlighted in KQED MindShift, Edutopia, The Genius of Play, and the Argus Leader.
Featured Guest: International Literacy Association Podcast, Detentions & Dragons, +7 Intelligence, The DM Lair, and Awkwardly Awesome Podcast.

Core Focus Areas
Gamified Pedagogy: Transforming passive consumers of text into active creators, problem-solvers, and collaborators.
Interdisciplinary Learning: Connecting game mechanics and tabletop lore to core literacy standards, STEM fields, and strategic thinking.
Social-Emotional & Therapeutic Growth: Utilizing cooperative gameplay to build empathy, communication, and emotional resilience in young learners.
Professional Development & Workshops: Training teachers, administrators, and organizations on how to implement game-based learning models in real-world settings.

Connect & Collaborate
Whether you want to bring game-based learning to your district, invite me to present at an upcoming conference, or explore teacher training through Building Heroez, let’s connect!