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Election Campaign Debates Civic Mirror Classroom Video Series, Episode 8

Election Campaign Debates

Election Campaign Debates

In this event, candidates debate about a variety of issues that relate to their country’s government and economy. Students not debating are asked to prepare questions about things they are concerned about.

Unlike most classroom debates and mock elections where students assume and play fictitious roles, the stakes in The Civic Mirror elections are very real. Students are not role playing. They’re fully invested. For example, the money they earned to start the game with was the result of in-class effort (Episode 5). They also know that once things start, part of their course grade will be linked to their ability to earn Status Points (the points they need to win the game).

In other words, students have a vested interest in what their government does; they don’t want their politicians to mess things up for them. And what’s exciting is that students begin to understand that influencing their government has some serious advantages … and having a position in government can even be better.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CIVIC MIRROR VIDEO TUTORIAL?
Please leave them below and join the discussion!

ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT THE CIVIC MIRROR IS?
Basically it’s a government and economics simulation that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens. Far more than just a game, The Civic Mirror is a fully comprehensive civic education program that turns the old rules of teaching and learning on their head. Students actively assume real-world citizenship roles – both in the classroom and online – and work as individuals to provide for imaginary families and achieve hidden agendas, while working together to build a strong, democratic nation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CIVICMIRROR.COM.

FOR THE COMPLETE CIVIC MIRROR EVENT SUMMARY, CLICK HERE .

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Forming Political Parties Civic Mirror Classroom Video Series, Episode 7

Forming Political Parties

Forming Political Parties

In this activity, students are given time to mingle with their classmates in order to discuss national issues they have an interest in (especially as they relate to their Hidden Agendas) with the intent of forming political parties. The fascinating thing about this activity is that it’s the first one to be completely open-ended: students are left to their own devices and can form alliances with whomever they want for whatever reasons. If taken seriously, students get their first taste into the world of politics and economic deal-making.

By the end of the “mingling period,” political parties will have emerged, with each one ideally having a party platform grounded in political and economic theory (the Hidden Agendas help to drive this). Once formed, political parties will be given time to campaign and prepare for the upcoming elections, how much depending on the instructor and the course.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CIVIC MIRROR VIDEO TUTORIAL?
Please leave them below and join the discussion!

ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT THE CIVIC MIRROR IS?
Basically it’s a government and economics simulation that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens. Far more than just a game, The Civic Mirror is a fully comprehensive civic education program that turns the old rules of teaching and learning on their head. Students actively assume real-world citizenship roles – both in the classroom and online – and work as individuals to provide for imaginary families and achieve hidden agendas, while working together to build a strong, democratic nation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CIVICMIRROR.COM.

FOR THE COMPLETE CIVIC MIRROR EVENT SUMMARY, CLICK HERE .

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Learning the Constitution Activity Civic Mirror Classroom Video Series, Episode 6

Learning the Constitution

Learning the Constitution

When The Civic Mirror begins, students – like people of any state or community – will inevitably ask questions like:

“Can he do that?”
“Would I be able to get away with … ?”
“What’s legal? What’s forbidden? And who says so?”

The Civic Mirror Manuals include modified versions of the U.S. Constitution or the Canadian Charter (depending on the module), and these modified documents literally become the students’ book of fundamental laws for their own country.

This “Constitutional Jigsaw” activity is optional (time permitting), but it has two primary objectives:

  1. For students to become familiar with their simulated nation’s constitution by paraphrasing sections of it in groups and evaluating one another’s work, and
  2. For students to become more familiar with the U.S. Constitution or Canadian Charter, with the hope of becoming more informed and well-equipped citizens in the real world.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CIVIC MIRROR VIDEO TUTORIAL?
Please leave them below and join the discussion!

ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT THE CIVIC MIRROR IS?
Basically it’s a government and economics simulation that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens. Far more than just a game, The Civic Mirror is a fully comprehensive civic education program that turns the old rules of teaching and learning on their head. Students actively assume real-world citizenship roles – both in the classroom and online – and work as individuals to provide for imaginary families and achieve hidden agendas, while working together to build a strong, democratic nation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CIVICMIRROR.COM.

FOR THE COMPLETE CIVIC MIRROR EVENT SUMMARY, CLICK HERE .

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Classroom Incentives and Rewards: CM Classroom Video Series, Episode 5

Classroom Incentives and Rewards

Civic Mirror's Built-In Rewards

The Civic Mirror provides teachers with a variety of reward mechanisms that encourage students to complete in-class work. Students will know that before they receive their Citizen Profiles, their attitude, participation, and work-completion marks will be used to decide who gets what hidden agendas and how much money at the start of the game. Afterwards, they will know that their continued hard work may be rewarded with either CM$$ and/or Well-Being Pts (given by you), or Status Points Steals (described in the Civic Mirror Manuals). These methods work wonders to increase interest, motivation, and work-completion rates.

This video shows students receiving cash rewards based on their in-class effort and performance after several weeks of monitoring. It’s easy to see how excited (and motivated) the students become. To quote one student from that class, “Yo! You mean we get paid to do our schoolwork?”

For more information on how to effectively cover your curriculum with Civic Mirror rewards and incentives, visit the ever-growing list of Civic Mirror Course Packs and Unit Plans and/or the forthcoming CM Library.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CIVIC MIRROR VIDEO TUTORIAL?
Please leave them below and join the discussion!

ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT THE CIVIC MIRROR IS?
Basically it’s a government and economics simulation that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens. Far more than just a game, The Civic Mirror is a fully comprehensive civic education program that turns the old rules of teaching and learning on their head. Students actively assume real-world citizenship roles – both in the classroom and online – and work as individuals to provide for imaginary families and achieve hidden agendas, while working together to build a strong, democratic nation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CIVICMIRROR.COM.

FOR THE COMPLETE CIVIC MIRROR EVENT SUMMARY, CLICK HERE .

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Create National Identity #2 Civic Mirror Classroom Video Series, Episode 4

Create National Identity

Create National Identity

This is the second step of the student-run “Create National Identity” activity. This lesson can be skipped if teachers are short on classroom time; however, if they choose to run this lesson, it has two main goals:

1. Students vote on their Civic Mirror national identity items, and can then upload these pieces of work to their country’s wiki space on civicmirror.com, and

2. Students pay special attention to their ongoing self-governance (i.e. classroom dynamics), trying to apply the lessons they learned from Create National Identity #1 to this one.

Citizen Profiles

Citizen Profiles

CITIZEN PROFILES: Once the votes are done, Civic Mirror Instructor’s distribute Citizen Profiles to their students. These include each student’s Hidden Agenda, their starting money, and other information about their simulated citizen identity. The Civic Mirror Manuals explain the Citizen Profiles in full detail.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CIVIC MIRROR VIDEO TUTORIAL?
Please leave them below and join the discussion!

ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT THE CIVIC MIRROR IS?
Basically it’s a government and economics simulation that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens. Far more than just a game, The Civic Mirror is a fully comprehensive civic education program that turns the old rules of teaching and learning on their head. Students actively assume real-world citizenship roles – both in the classroom and online – and work as individuals to provide for imaginary families and achieve hidden agendas, while working together to build a strong, democratic nation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CIVICMIRROR.COM.

FOR THE COMPLETE CIVIC MIRROR EVENT SUMMARY, CLICK HERE .

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Teacher-Led Reflection Civic Mirror Classroom Video Series, Episode 3

Reflection & Connection

Reflection & Connection

The Civic Mirror’s educational power truly lies in the teacher and students’ ability to extrapolate meaning and significance from all of the simulated events. In this classroom video tutorial, students reflect on and discuss what went well in their first student-run lesson, and what could have gone better.

The Civic Mirror’s Instructors Manual has many tips to help teachers guide their students through the “Reflection & Connection” process. Here are some excerpts:

Don’t Be God: The more you direct the plotlines, the less life-like The Civic Mirror will be for your students.

Impart Your Wisdom: Help your students make sense of what they might otherwise be oblivious to. We are aware that these two suggestions are paradoxical, but somewhere between the two extremes we hope you find the right balance for you and your students.

The Simulation as a Platform: The Civic Mirror will provide your students with an experiential frame of reference from which they can build upon. Use this to your advantage!

A Mirror to Learn About Themselves: Remember that The Civic Mirror allows instructors to mentor instead of manage their students. Do not be afraid to do this.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CIVIC MIRROR VIDEO TUTORIAL?
Please leave them below and join the discussion!

ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT THE CIVIC MIRROR IS?
Basically it’s a government and economics simulation that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens. Far more than just a game, The Civic Mirror is a fully comprehensive civic education program that turns the old rules of teaching and learning on their head. Students actively assume real-world citizenship roles – both in the classroom and online – and work as individuals to provide for imaginary families and achieve hidden agendas, while working together to build a strong, democratic nation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CIVICMIRROR.COM.

FOR THE COMPLETE CIVIC MIRROR EVENT SUMMARY, CLICK HERE .

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Create National Identity #1 Civic Mirror Classroom Video Series, Episode 2

Create National Identity

Create National Identity

This is the first student-run lesson in The Civic Mirror program. Creating a national identity is a two-step exercise, and it’s often best done with a teacher-guided reflection in between (as this video series shows). In this lesson, students work as a class to agree on the details of their soon-to-be nation, experiencing several hiccups along the way.

The purpose of this lesson is to allow students to collectively develop a sense of national identity, and ease into the role of collectively running and governing their simulated nation.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CIVIC MIRROR VIDEO TUTORIAL?
Please leave them below and join the discussion!

ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT THE CIVIC MIRROR IS?
Basically it’s a government and economics simulation that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens. Far more than just a game, The Civic Mirror is a fully comprehensive civic education program that turns the old rules of teaching and learning on their head. Students actively assume real-world citizenship roles – both in the classroom and online – and work as individuals to provide for imaginary families and achieve hidden agendas, while working together to build a strong, democratic nation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CIVICMIRROR.COM.

FOR THE COMPLETE CIVIC MIRROR EVENT SUMMARY, CLICK HERE .

Posted in CM News | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The CM Practice Run Civic Mirror Classroom Video Series, Episode 1

CM Practice Run

CM Practice Run

This video shows the second Civic Mirror event, the Practice Run. In this event, instructors take students down to the computer lab to try out The Civic Mirror’s online program for the first time.

The whole point of the CM Practice Run is to learn how the game works by experimenting, making mistakes, and interacting with classmates. You will learn how trades work, how to check your status, how to find information about your country and others in it, and how to communicate with one another in the online community. When it’s over, the program will wipe out all the players’ stats and standings, clearing the slate for the real deal.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CIVIC MIRROR VIDEO TUTORIAL?
Please leave them below and join the discussion!

ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT THE CIVIC MIRROR IS?
Basically it’s a government and economics simulation that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens. Far more than just a game, The Civic Mirror is a fully comprehensive civic education program that turns the old rules of teaching and learning on their head. Students actively assume real-world citizenship roles – both in the classroom and online – and work as individuals to provide for imaginary families and achieve hidden agendas, while working together to build a strong, democratic nation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CIVICMIRROR.COM.

FOR THE COMPLETE CIVIC MIRROR EVENT SUMMARY, CLICK HERE .

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The Civic Mirror Classroom Video Series!

What Kind of Citizen Will You Become?

What Kind of Citizen (or Teacher) Will You Become?

The Civic Mirror is a new and innovative education program that turns the old rules of teaching and learning on their head. To date it’s been used by over 50 educators across the world – with over double that amount slated to use the program this upcoming year – and the educational dividends have truly been amazing.

As exciting as The Civic Mirror can be (with stories of ‘unlikely’ students arriving early and not wanting to leave class; or students logging into civicmirror.com on weekend nights to talk politics and economics with teachers and classmates; or students arriving at staggering insights and reflections about life, human nature and our social systems and structures), the program can be overwhelming for first-time educators. It requires teachers and professors to let go of “the classroom reigns” to a certain extent, to have faith in their students and the experience, and to capitalize on the endless teachable moments it provides.

CLASSROOM VIDEO SERIES WILL HELP YOU PLAN & PREPARE
To help educators (and students) get the most out of their Civic Mirror experience, we will be showcasing The Civic Mirror’s main events in a Classroom Video Series starting next week. The classroom video series will include 20 episodes in total, showing how the program transforms classrooms into countries and students into citizens. Five episodes will be posted each week (from Monday to Friday) starting Monday, August 10th and ending Friday, September 4.

HAVE THE CLASSROOM VIDEO EPISODES EMAILED TO YOU
Click the link below if you would like each of the 20 video episodes emailed to you.

We hope The Civic Mirror Classroom Video Series gets you excited and confident to use the program with your students this coming school year. Whenever you’re ready to get started, click the “Get Started” tab above and away you go!

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“People or Sheeple?” ponders Cherise Osaki ~ a Grade 12 student from Shanghai American School

In this video, Cherise Osaki, a Grade 12 International Relations Student from Shanghai American School, reflects on what she learned about her classmates – and people in general – from her experience as a citizen in her Civic Mirror country “Pangea,” a tumultuous nation that almost slipped into dictatorship.

People or Sheeple?

Written By Cherise Osaki: You wouldn’t think that people who know what is right could be so easily swayed by others. But they are. You wouldn’t think that students in a private international school with set hidden agendas and full awareness of what their set goals are to achieve could be so easily manipulated into what somewhat with a disreputable past says. But we are.

Third year in Pangaea, and it is time to vote. We have a president who has never let us down, has always been true to her word, and has been consistent with her plans for the future running for reelection. Then we had another candidate who had been sued for questionable motives and morals every year since the Civic Mirror began in our class and always seemed to find ways around the law and around contracts. Shouldn’t the old proverb “once burned twice shy” apply? Apparently not.

After a surprising tie result and a tiebreaker vote, we were even more surprised to see that our former president was defeated by one vote. The elections were not rigged, the results were legitimate. A frustrated few remained loyal to the tactics which had made Pangaea prosperous, but a surprising number had been convinced of the new president. As should have been expected, the country fell into turmoil, and in the end the only way out was a crisis vote (a vote that simulates a violent revolution to quickly resolve a political stalemate, resulting in random deaths of Civic Mirror family members). After all was said and done, there were sixteen deaths.

It should have been obvious, why had people been so easily swayed? In the end, it is surprising. Very few will stand by morals in the end, as everyone’s primary concern is living comfortably in the moment. Even people who should know better don’t. We have all learned now, as we should, to question everything and consider the future and past for every present circumstance. Will this lesson be lasting, or will history repeat itself?

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