Civic mirror (CM) is one example of game-based learning that was developed by a Canadian Social Studies teacher, and that is used in our schools today. From the Civic Mirror website here is a description of CM: http://civicmirror.com/about/overview
What is The Civic Mirror?
Imagine a 12th Grade class so exciting that every student showed up on senior skip day because they didn’t want to miss the action. Imagine a civics class where students laughed about how addicting it was? Imagine a history class where students spent their lunch hour negotiating out-of-court settlements, legislative wordings, and business deals? These are true stories.
These are Civic Mirror stories. Unlike most social studies programs that ask students to learn about things, The Civic Mirror allows students to experiment with the course content. It provides students with a voice and enlivens the curriculum by turning them into citizens of their own country, with their own families, government, court, economy, and environment.
The Civic Mirror also makes it easy for teachers to be dynamic and effective. Because the website and companion manuals provide teachers everything they need, it literally save hours upon hours of hair-pulling time trying to innovate, and it virtually guarantees student participation in the classroom.
What Were the Student Experiences Like with Civic Mirror?
As explained in the graphic above, CM is purported to supplement classroom teaching, and to engage students in learning about "civics" or about the Canadian political and economic processes for the grade 9 student. But did it? I will describe some of my experiences with the grade 9 students during my practicum where we first taught the Canadian political (and economic) system via a series of projects, a mock parliamentary system, and finally using the Civic Mirror.
I should point out that for reasons of FOIP I will not be posting pictures of students involved in CM, nor will I directly quote students. Instead, I will however report my impressions of using CM to enhance the curriculum, and hence this blog is FOIP compliant.
1. Did the grade 9 students like CM?
There was an overwhelmingly positive reception to using Civic Mirror from the grade 9 students. They were really jazzed up about actually applying their knowledge, and in competing with their fellow students. The game is quite involved! Right at the outset of the game, students are introduced to some fairly advanced principles of economics like scarcity and choice / supply and demand. Students also needed to budget, and care for their family, learn to interact with other students, work co-operatively (or not), and work within a political and judicial system.
The students were really enthusiastic, and one of the great benefits of GBL is that we did not need to explain all the rules at the beginning. Instead, students worked it out as they went, and information was delivered "just in time" - one of the hallmarks of GBL.
So, an unqualified YES to this question.
2. Did the grade 9 students like CM more than their traditional activities in the classroom?
Yes, and no. Some students really liked the debating part of the more traditional parliamentary system. As a class, we:
- Elected a House of Commons,
- Formed a minority government,
- Elected a PM,
- Introduced a series of bills,
- And then passed one bill that was binding in our classroom.
The students really enjoyed this activity, because it was hands-on and project-based. Some of the students really flourished in a debating system, and many were challenged in the public speaking components.
What CM allows is to put these skills into practice, and to leave some of the mechanics behind the veil as it were. The tedious part of score keeping, and feedback is done in-game, and instantaneously in a turn-based setting. The kids loved it.
Resoundingly, the students liked CM more than the very dry stand and deliver lectures on some of the harder parts of the grade 9 curriculum like the differences among electoral systems. I think electoral systems (popular vs proportional) could be done so much better in a GBL system. It's a hard concept for adults to grasp, and many adults do not understand the system that gave rise to our provincial leaders here in Alberta (the 2nd and 3rd choice ballot system).
3. Did the grade 9 students learn more when using a game-based learning activity like CM?
Yes, I think so, because the students were engaged. One of the really great thing about GBL is that the game does not stop when school stops. Students that are engaged can work on the game at their leisure. In otherwords, the lesson doesn't stop when the teacher stops teaching.
Students could log on at any time after school and work on their character (write descriptions of their family or themselves), or plan their next moves for economic or political domination, trade with other players, or work out alliances.
Cases or infractions needed to be dealt with by the students through the judicial process, and therefore judges / lawyers needed to be hired and appointed... And fees paid! That's a lot of learning.
4. How well did CM work for the teachers?
Probably the best part for a teacher is the freedom it allows the teacher to concentrate on helping students that needed help. Students could enjoy the game / material at their pace and so this freed up teachers to evaluate their learning, and to work with students that needed help.
Another great thing about GBL is it takes the teacher off of the center stage - students helped or taught each other. This was probably the single strongest part of GBL: students work co-operatively to win the game by teaching each other. It also helps that the teacher is not the expert!!
5. How complicated is Civic Mirror?
Very!! It's a microcosm of a social, economic, judicial, and political system. Some of the things students needed to:
- Understand economics or supply and demand,
- Understand a basic political system, and
- How a judicial system works in practice,
- How to work co-operatively,
- Draft and introduce bills for parliament,
- Discover why we have a political system.
The great thing about game-based learning is it can be as deep as a student wants... In short, it differentiates learning by itself!
Overall, my experiences with Civic Mirror was positive. It's a very complicated game that takes out some of the "pain" of learning what can be a very dry subject: political and economic systems in Canada.
