
For the last three years, I have been "teaching" Civics as part of the Futures Forum project. I put teaching in quotations because at the same time as teaching, I have been learning. In fact, my learning has changed the way that I look at my life and my role as a citizen in a democratic nation.
That's a big change.
I give most of the credit to using Regan Ross's brilliant Civic Mirror program that I use within my classroom. A blended online and face to face role playing simulation, his program allows students to turn their "classroom into a country" and experience the process of making democratic decisions. What makes Ross's game fascinating is that each student receives a Hidden Agenda that contain their ideological or economic standpoint. These Hidden Agendas -- Conservative, Liberal, Humanitarian, Capitalist, Socialist, Environmentalist, etc -- force students to see and debate issues from different standpoints.