What happens when you throw 38 high school sophomores into a room, tell them to create a democratic government, then sit down do nothing for two days. Well, a variety of things. After day one, three of my four classes quickly picked leaders and divided into committees to begin working. The last one spent almost 40 minutes trying to decide who the leaders were and how to divide into groups. Then the “creative” ideas begin to surface – like banning the drinking of water, requiring nudity, and coming with names for the country like Gumbiville or Mikeville. They believe that there is a significant grade attached to the completion of the assignment – however, they are actually being graded on the effort they show. This incentive has the motivated kids even more motivated and encouraging the less motivated students along.
We’ll see by the end of the tomorrow if the promising start today translates into a good final product and if the other class can recover. If interested, you can download the one page simulation discription here.
danmcdowell.net 