The world has a lot of problems. To build the future, we must learn to come together to find solutions to our most pressing challenges. We’re on a mission to create playful experiences that help students develop the key skills that will empower them to be civically minded adults. Learn how you might use games to bridge the gap between SEL and civic engagement.
Too often, we confuse a civic education with having taken a one and done course on the role of the government and how it functions. WRONG! Having a civic education should result in being civically minded. This means caring about what’s happening in your world and your community – and knowing you have a responsibility to shape its future. It means making an effort to have an informed opinion, vote, and get involved in what’s happening in the world.
In this book, we’ve used our experience as civics teachers to assess what prevents adults from effectively engaging in civics and politics, and have attempted to develop simple solutions for how we might overcome those roadblocks. We’ve done our best to break down problems with civic engagement, communication, and polarization to the least common denominator, so that all teachers can help us with our journey of developing a generation of engaged citizens.
Consensus, requires strategy, pattern recognition, and communication. Made for 2-10 players, this game serves as a creative reaction to the polarized dialogue and toxic partisanship in our communities.
Consensus uses game theory and a variety of custom layers to simulate a turn-based debate between people with different agendas. You can control the setup to either be competitive or collaborative. Play to outsmart and outscore your opponents or add real topics and your opinions to find common ground.
Our goal was to build a fun game that doubles as a conversation tool. Within our services, we facilitate introductory play sessions with Consensus because it’s an effective way to learn more about a group.
In partnership with Game Genuis, Cottage teacher-in-residence, Brian Field, and with support from the Marder-Vaughn Center for Historic Sites, Interpretation, and Education at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this game designed to inspire brave ideas was born.
The game has its roots in the history of the Cottage, which was the place where Abraham Lincoln worked, and reworked, and reworked again his ideas surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation. These ideas changed the nation, and President Lincoln’s Cottage is dedicated to inspiring the same avenues for innovation in today’s world.
The result is a game that inspires laughter, discussion, and innovation through social-emotional learning (SEL). Hawkins explained the inextricable link between Civics and SEL along with the way play can strengthen that link, “Spaces for civic conversation and education are critical to students’ understanding of themselves and their role in society. Done well, games can create this space and build skills in communication and consensus building, self and collective awareness. Games can also foster civic engagement, human connection, and inclusivity – all vital elements in preparing students to leave school as engaged members of society.”
We’re currently writing Civics Through Play, and we’d like to hear from teachers to find out what’s working in your classroom. Let us know by filling out the form below.
