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Classroom Constitutions and Teaching Civic Awareness
How do we teach civic awareness in middle school? Dr. Melinda Rice, Le Sallay Academy's Head of Humanities, recounts a unique role-playing exercise that asked students to draft a constitution that would help a newly democratic state to overhaul the old political system.
2 March 2023
PREAMBLE
We, the people of Jarth, hereby declare this to be our official constitution in an effort to end the years of instability our country endured, to ensure that our people are heard and well represented, that their various cultures and identities are respected, to establish a distinction between local and national laws, to stop any further abuse of power, to provide and protect the rights of all individuals, to bring unity to our country while still upholding the traditions of our people.
We, the people of Jarth, hereby declare this to be our official constitution in an effort to end the years of instability our country endured, to ensure that our people are heard and well represented, that their various cultures and identities are respected, to establish a distinction between local and national laws, to stop any further abuse of power, to provide and protect the rights of all individuals, to bring unity to our country while still upholding the traditions of our people.
This is how the Constitution drafted by Le Sallay students starts. Charged with the complex task of setting up a new law for an imaginary country that went through a revolution to overthrow an authoritarian government, Le Sallay students rose to the occasion.
This was a multi-tiered role-playing exercise where history students had to imagine themselves as members of different ethnic groups living in a country where a revolution has just ended a long and violent dictatorship.
They were tasked with finding a common ground and laying the foundation for a political system that would work best for all the citizens.
This was a multi-tiered role-playing exercise where history students had to imagine themselves as members of different ethnic groups living in a country where a revolution has just ended a long and violent dictatorship.
They were tasked with finding a common ground and laying the foundation for a political system that would work best for all the citizens.
The flag of Jarth as designed by the students
This exercise requires a lot of research and commitment. In addition to studying the history of revolutions, the examples of working and faulty political systems the students come to understand how social dynamics, group identities, and communal histories play into the process of creating institutions that work for the common good.
"This process engages students in real-world political negotiations. They get to understand that the things they are learning are directly applicable to their own lives", says the head of the project Mindy Rice, who coincidentally played the role of United Nations, calling students to order and preserving peace every time the discussion veered of the course.
During our Blended Learning Conference Mindy gave a detailed account of the project, explaining how it was created and adapted with middle schoolers in mind.
"This process engages students in real-world political negotiations. They get to understand that the things they are learning are directly applicable to their own lives", says the head of the project Mindy Rice, who coincidentally played the role of United Nations, calling students to order and preserving peace every time the discussion veered of the course.
During our Blended Learning Conference Mindy gave a detailed account of the project, explaining how it was created and adapted with middle schoolers in mind.