Learning Through Simulation

A LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY BRINGS THE GOVERNMENT— AND THE POWER TO ENACT CHANGE—TO LIFE

During a presidential election year, U.S. history class takes on a more palpable intensity. Learning about the way our government works isn’t just conceptual—it’s directly observable in the news, during debates, and at electoral events throughout the year. Understanding the procedural elements of electing representatives and passing laws is an essential step toward becoming an active voting member of the country. Still, some of the material can be quite dry—especially for 8th grade students. So Upper Division history teacher Melissa Villarreal developed a creative way to increase student engagement through a multi-day simulation that mirrors the real legislative process in our government. The simulation ran for the first time last year. “The way bills become laws is really abstract,” she explains. “Common lesson plans teach the procedural steps to turn bills into law, but often lack the more human element

GAMING THE SYSTEM

Students collect in committees to discuss bills proposed by their classmates

of the process, like the frustration people feel when an issue they’re passionate about can’t get enough bipartisan support to pass or how difficult it can be to gain support.” So when she came across a one-day legislative simulation during her research, she knew she wanted to adapt it for her 8th grade class. She continues, “We’re in an interesting political climate, and it’s important for students to understand how much their representatives can influence what happens in our country. The steps are important, but it’s also about the people who are fueling those steps.” In the simulation, one section of the 8th grade class serves as the Senate and the other section serves as the House of Representatives. Within their respective chambers, each student proposes a number of bills that are relevant to Mark Day School—for example, participating in the selection of Upper Division elective classes and helping choose school plays—in a format that closely resembles the way bills are actually created. Students are guided by a point system throughout the process, encouraging students to submit strong bills—one point for each bill that’s submitted, two points per bill that gets passed by a committee, three points if it’s passed by the House, etc. They also get points for serving in leadership roles like Speaker of the House or President Pro Tempore. “Their bills must be realistic,” says Melissa. “These bills should propose changes that have real potential to come to fruition.” Once students submit their individual bills, the class is organized into sub-committees based on subject matter to decide on individual bills. For example, a bill about vending machines might be examined by a sub-committee focused on student health and wellness. Sub-committees have several options—recommend the bill for a full House vote, kick it back to its author for revisions, or eradicate it. Bills that are

The President Pro Tempore presides over a Senate session to decide on proposed bills.

pushed through have the opportunity for a vote by the House of Representatives, and those that pass the House are then voted on in the Senate. Bills that pass both votes are signed into law by the President. Last year, 120 bills were sent to sub-committees and about 20 were signed into law. While Melissa sets the broad parameters of the simulation, it’s the students who run it. The Speaker oversees House sessions and the President Pro Tempore oversees Senate sessions, managing conversation and process with minimal input from Melissa. And students ultimately decide what bills get passed. “The whole simulation is student-driven,” says Melissa. “Their conversation is driven by the legislation they themselves proposed, which comes from their own life experiences.” In this activity, she says, many students take on their assignments with genuine interest. For example, students who sometimes struggled with writing for other assignments showed a new eagerness to rewrite and resubmit their bills. Collaboration and compromise are also woven into the exercise. For example, students need to gain bipartisan support for the issues. One faction of students can’t just decide what’s important for the entire class. Students must gain support and buy-in from other members in each chamber, and every voice is heard and accounted for. “Once a bill has been signed into law by the President,” says Melissa, “It signifies that the issue is important to the entire 8th grade class.” Last year, students were so enthusiastic about the legislative simulation that it carried over into a full presidential simulation—which then led to the elected President and Vice President presenting passed bills to the school’s administrative team.“It was important for students to see the connection all the way through,” says Melissa. “They created bills, collectively passed the bills, and were then able to move those bills up the Mark Day ladder to have a hand in creating real change at the school.” It’s an exciting moment not just for students, but for administrators as well. Head of School Joe Harvey says, “To be good citizens, students need to know how to advance an idea in the political realm. They learn to shape and promulgate convincing messages in many ways, using a wide variety of media. The 8th grade legislative simulation is a great demonstration of this learning in action. When we sat down with student delegates last year and this year, I was so impressed with the quality of their ideas and their focus on the needs of not just themselves and their peers, but other constituents at the school. We conTheir conversation is driven by the “ legislation they themselves proposed, which comes from their own life experiences...it signifies that the issue is important to the entire 8th grade class.”

tinue to make progress on some of the ideas advanced last spring, and I look forward to hearing from more 8th graders in the future.” Though it may be hard to imagine, 8th graders are just a few years away from being able to vote. Understanding how the legislative process works is a key step to forming political ideologies and recognizing their own abilities to enact change. “It’s important to know who you’re voting for,” Melissa says. “I want to get kids excited about voting because it matters— not just who the President is, but who our legislators are because in many ways, they have more power to shape what’s happening in the country.” Through the simulation, students also learn how to be great advocates for themselves and others. “We help kids build strong relationships with adults,” says Joe. “That’s one of the habits we believe in. Students need to be able to advocate, particularly with those in a position of power. Sometimes it’s a parent or a teacher or, down the road, a colleague at work. It may not come naturally for every child, but every child learns to exercise that muscle at Mark Day.” Though the simulation very closely mirrors reality, it leaves “politics” out of it. “We’re able to stay non-partisan and non-political. It’s not about Democrats or Republicans. Students are figuring out what they believe, and I want to create a space where they can represent who they are without judgment. My intention is to teach them how the process works, how they can figure out what their values are, who their representatives are, and how they can get involved in issues they believe in. The process doesn’t depend on political party.” Instead, Melissa explains, it’s about coming together for one purpose—to make our school better—and collaborating to make that happen.