Choices

I eschew textbooks; I make my own. I like to develop my own units. I also like to borrow ideas from several places and mix them together. I rarely do premade. But sometimes "off the shelf", especially when it is really great is just a delight. A big bang for only a little bit of work.

Probably 25 years ago,  I first came across the Choices Program. At the time, it was run directly out of Brown University's school of Foreign Policy, which  helped to develop it. 

Today, the program is still under Brown's auspices. I have used various role plays from them over the years including but not limited to:

The US role in a Changing World

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The Haitian Revolution

Responding to Terrorism

No longer in their portfolio of choices was one I used to use with my 8th graders on the Yalta conference that seems to have morphed into this but it has changed substantively.

The materials and resources are rich, detailed and thorough. One could do one of these units for upwards of a month. I usually take 5-8 class periods. They're not terribly expensive, though they aren't cheap either. It's money well spent. 

Inspired by this the Choices program, I made my own Choices style role play about the War of 1812.  Here's some spirited 7th grade debate from several years ago. 

This hearing was moderated and led by students. Students asked the questions and answered the questions. For four class periods, I watched and enjoyed. Towards the end of the second class period; debated became particularly heated and as ideas and argument raged passionately back and forth across my class' Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, I began to smile. One student caught a glimpse of my smiles and said, “You are enjoying this aren’t you?” A visitor walking in the room at just that moment may have been taken aback by the zeal (and yes, noise.) But I was thrilled. Students were deeply engaged in learning, thinking, and debate all about the now forgotten political debates of our early nation. This was learning that was "sticky" 

Fast and Furious Debate and Lots of Learning

Finally, (watch out, the historian in me is breaking out) when considering the hostility of today’s political climate with its charges, accusations and counter-charges we bemoan its lack of civility and long for a more civil public discourse. We yearn for the days when our leaders actually “got along” and worked together for the common welfare. While we indeed live in a toxic political culture, it isn't unique to this generation. Our nation’s politics have often been full of vitriol. A little over 200 years ago, we were in one such period. (Google the Hartford Convention.) 

Unfortunately, we do not look to the past for the lessons that it could teach us. As a teacher, I try to have my students understand that our world did not have to turn out this way. This particular present was not preordained; indeed, it was the choices and actions of individual people that shaped and continue to shape the course of history. It does not just happen. Having students consider the choices and options of previous generations pounds this lesson home.