Simulating History: The Use of Historical and Political Simulations in the History Classroom

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Active History is proud to present a video each week from New Directions in Active History. The conference took place at Huron University College on October 2-4, 2015 and brought together scholars, students, professionals and community members to discuss a wide range of topics pertaining to active history.

In this week’s video, we continue the discussion on active and engaged learning in public school classrooms. Brent Pavey, Head of History at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, shares his vision of how to engage students in political and historical debates. He explains numerous simulations which he has implemented in the classroom from mock UN Security Council meetings to Confederation debates. Pavey explains that the goal of these projects is to “engage students so they can imagine fulfilling the shoes of political and historical figures.” He hopes that these types of projects not only allow students to learn the material in an interesting way, but also introduce students to historical debates with which Canada continues to grapple. Pavey also offers advice to educators about outcomes that are either unrealistic or historically inaccurate. He urges educators that debriefing with students is important because during reflection, learning will often occur.

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Transcript:

00:10
so today I have with me Brent Neal and
00:14
Lindsey who are we talking about
00:16
innovative teaching in the high school
00:18
classroom so have you ever heard the
00:20
complaint that oh if his children are
00:22
students are competitive at history is
00:24
boring or that once you get to
00:27
University the history we’ve learned in
00:29
high school is has to be retaught that’s
00:32
not happening in these classrooms and
00:34
she won’t hear those complaints here so
00:37
they will be sharing the ways they have
00:39
been engaging with students and making
00:42
this history unforgettable in their
00:44
classrooms first I’d like to invite
00:46
Brent up for his presentation about
00:49
stimulating history he has been and
00:52
correct me if I make mistake at Waterloo
00:57
collegiate for the past 25 years roughly
01:00
and the head of the department for the
01:02
since 2001 so him as well as our other
01:08
two presenters today have many years in
01:10
the field and they speak from experience
01:11
so I welcome rank okay Jessica found a
01:16
very very quite way to call the old
01:19
Becca and I actually I run into two
01:23
former students actually in the hallways
01:24
here one of whom is presenting as we
01:26
speak and another one who I thought she
01:28
was still at McGill and actually help no
01:30
I graduated two years ago it’s something
01:33
funny happens in the stratagems bring
01:36
you know when they leave its kind of the
01:39
autobahns of us have or checks of
01:40
graduates and then well Katie her name
01:44
is I also found a nice way to call me
01:46
old so it was good what I intend to do
01:49
is talk about a few of the simulations
01:52
that I use in my classroom and I really
01:54
should begin this presentation is
01:56
eliminate and you should never do this I
01:57
know but with few confessions the one
02:01
confession is nothing i’m going to
02:02
present to you particularly high tech
02:04
i’m a bit of a light and
02:07
comfortable with that at this age my
02:09
career secondly the other thing I would
02:12
say is nothing is really new here what
02:18
I’ve done is taking some ideas in will
02:21
prompt talk about this in the panel of
02:23
the session afterwards and adapted them
02:25
and try to use them in my senior classes
02:27
mainly my grade 12 law politics classes
02:30
and also a great time history the other
02:33
thing I should confess at the beginning
02:34
and I said this to my former charge is
02:38
that I my big confession really is is
02:42
that I’m a political scientist so thank
02:46
you for being so welcoming to a heritage
02:48
nothing your cathedrals I know sometimes
02:51
your moms like kissing those 22 very um
02:54
so what I’m gonna talk about a little
02:56
bit anyway is how we can try to get
02:59
Arceus engage our students in a way
03:01
where they actually try to fill the
03:03
shoes not only of historical figures but
03:05
also political figures a little bit
03:07
easier frankly with my grade 12 long
03:09
politics classes and I’m going to talk
03:11
about a new experiment i’m going to try
03:13
and as I’m sure Lindsay and Neil will
03:17
confirm a lot of the times in teaching
03:20
high school history you have to be
03:22
prepared to fail magnificently so
03:25
whether whether I actually have the
03:26
courage to use this one instead just
03:29
throw it up to my grade 12 law class
03:30
will be determined as I said really the
03:34
purpose of some of these simulations is
03:36
really just to get the kids not only
03:39
under their seats but out of their
03:41
comfort zones in an attempt to get them
03:43
to take on the role of politician to
03:47
take on the role of First Minister as
03:50
you’ll see and that I think is what
03:53
engages them that no longer you know if
03:55
you try to teach for instance the many
03:58
intricacies you know the six basic
04:00
features of you know the amending
04:01
formula of Canada’s Constitution you
04:04
eyes roll and it will be a pleasant
04:07
experience so you can do it by in
04:09
simulation it’s a much more rewarding
04:11
experience and then the debriefing
04:14
session afterwards is from my point of
04:16
view anyway really the valuable part so
04:20
just to give you some examples of what I
04:22
do in my politics class and in grade 12
04:26
one of the very life things that we do
04:27
is a parliamentary simulation where the
04:29
students select themselves members of
04:31
the House of Commons and this is sort of
04:33
a five or six week process sometimes as
04:38
I’ll point out leaders is always a big
04:39
issue and so when you do this they end
04:43
up forming political parties they have
04:44
to elect leaders they have to create
04:46
political platforms which they can then
04:48
share on google classroom and so forth
04:51
the government has to write a speech
04:54
from the throne which is maybe my own
04:57
political bias but the ones that have
04:59
lately have been better than the real
05:00
ones and not just the idea is frankly
05:03
the writing is better and and then that
05:06
sets the stage for sort of a one-day
05:08
Parliament for simulation that we do
05:10
near the very end of the year and the
05:11
course where we begin with the being in
05:16
the speech from the throne we have to
05:18
debate on the address and replied to the
05:19
speech from the throne followed by you
05:23
know a question period the government if
05:26
it survives after that point tries to
05:28
pass a bill then goes on for for the
05:30
entire day sometimes you know well after
05:32
school and then success or failure and
05:35
this is largely based on whether the
05:36
government survives the day I think in
05:39
the 20 years I’ve been doing it I’ve had
05:40
one majority government and 19 minority
05:44
governments which is useful i did my ma
05:47
thesis on mine already got
05:48
it’s in Canada so I’m able to provide
05:50
them some useful advice I also do a
05:52
first missions conference on Senate
05:54
reform which I’ve been doing probably
05:56
for about eight or ten years and again
05:58
as I said a few minutes ago part of the
06:01
issues is dealing with you know
06:03
especially in a law class that dryer
06:04
aspects of Canadian constitutional law
06:07
now before the Senate became a big issue
06:10
as it has recently i chose senate reform
06:15
because it’s really a classic example of
06:17
how to basically take provinces in pit
06:20
them against each other and of course
06:22
now with the most recent Supreme Court
06:24
decision supporting the plans of the
06:26
current government to do a lot of things
06:28
unilaterally that’s certainly out of
06:29
interest to it and and the kids come up
06:32
with some really interesting proposals
06:33
actually I think only once did they ever
06:36
agree to abolish the thing which is of
06:39
course we’re thinking let’s get in the
06:40
Quebec for instance we never agree to
06:41
this but that’s part of what you can
06:44
glean out of these things I do a UN
06:46
simulation in both my international law
06:49
class and also my politics class and the
06:52
fun part there is of course a basically
06:54
it’s a simulation of the Security
06:57
Council dealing with a international
06:59
crisis and very similar for the
07:01
parliamentary simulation they have to
07:02
create position papers that can share
07:03
them and then we
07:05
day and basically trying to get a
07:07
resolution passed the Security Council
07:09
the fun part for me is creating the
07:11
nightmare scenario which I want to claim
07:14
any gifts of prophecy here but more than
07:16
once I’ve actually you know predicted
07:18
something that’s going to happen about
07:19
two years later you may were calling
07:21
Israel in Lebanon a few years ago that
07:24
was a scenario and then the kids you
07:26
know who who went through this
07:27
afterwards how did you know and I was
07:28
like law it’s not bad gasps really you
07:30
know the history and so they have to
07:32
respond to it and then occasionally I’ll
07:34
open it up to maybe even throwing in a
07:36
curve if things are just a little too
07:38
friendly the occasional political
07:40
assassination occurs and and it is great
07:42
fun as we go through what that’s useful
07:45
for is for those you have ever taught
07:47
you know that the finer points of the
07:49
United Nations similar to the Canadian
07:51
Constitution kind of a stultifying so it
07:55
allows them to take on those roles and
07:58
it also allows them to see just as the
08:00
parliamentary simulation does has in
08:03
roleplay perspectives that they may not
08:05
necessarily share like I had a lot of
08:08
fun last year with an Iranian Canadian
08:11
student who got assigned is real and an
08:15
a former Israeli student who got around
08:17
and at first I brought the cold we can’t
08:20
do this I thought will be really
08:22
interesting intellectual exercise and
08:23
wrote it so I I heard them and then
08:26
ignored them and and they both learned a
08:30
lot actually the new one I’m going to
08:33
talk about in a few minutes is a first
08:34
ministers conference simulation based on
08:37
the 1981 pay creation round the famous
08:40
November 1981 conference which I think
08:42
has has a lot of interest increasingly
08:48
because the anniversary just recently
08:49
but also there’s really a lot you can
08:52
glean out of this for students to try to
08:54
you know look at and put those
08:56
historical events in their context
08:58
finally I should should notice that or
09:01
make note to you anyway that we take the
09:04
the federal provincial conference idea
09:05
and Waterloo sort of to a grand scale in
09:08
an event that’s sponsored with the
09:09
universe
09:09
Waterloo where we bring about 400
09:12
students from across water the county
09:14
together for two days at the University
09:16
of Waterloo where they again role play
09:18
these rules of the federal government
09:20
the provinces and territories first
09:22
nations as well as the press is actually
09:25
two student presses which cover it and
09:28
then of course what you can do online
09:30
now has made it really a lot of interest
09:32
so that’s a that’s sort of a quick
09:35
overview of sort of what i do as i said
09:39
this allows you to deal with some
09:40
sometimes rather dry material and
09:42
hopefully engaging way there is a
09:45
natural competitive competitiveness that
09:47
you can really happen to hear especially
09:50
the parliamentary simulation where they
09:52
are clinging to power sometimes this
09:55
being is very student-centered activity
09:58
which is always good i think instead of
10:02
me i sort of become the constitutional
10:04
advisor or i become a human advisor just
10:07
a guide in a little bit but it’s very
10:09
much the ownership for these events is
10:11
really taken by them last thing I would
10:13
say too is you know we do have mandate
10:15
in our curriculum to bring in current
10:17
affairs this is really nice way to do it
10:20
as we go through these things in order
10:24
for these things to work you really have
10:26
to have the right group of students
10:29
sitting in front of you they very much
10:31
have to be extraordinarily well prepared
10:33
you there’s a research phase in this
10:35
process they very much have to take
10:37
seriously it is good though even in a
10:41
social sciences class where you can get
10:43
them actually looking at some really
10:45
good primary documents so you can really
10:46
focus on with primary document skills so
10:49
that’s useful across the curriculum and
10:52
as I said that for these things to work
10:55
it has to be very clear and very clearly
10:57
defined for the students exactly what
11:00
they’re setting out to do scenario for
11:02
instance in the UN simulation you have
11:04
to give a really a lot of thought to
11:06
because you’re hoping certain things are
11:08
going to happen same with the
11:10
parliamentary simulation that you do
11:12
have to get into the finer points of
11:15
parliamentary procedure again not the
11:17
most exciting topic but you know once
11:19
they understand they can start to use
11:20
points of order for instance as weapons
11:22
in parliamentary debate that’s really
11:24
that’s really a good learning moment
11:28
there’s lots of different philosophies
11:30
about how you group students together if
11:33
you want success in any of these things
11:34
I think the teacher really has to play a
11:36
really big role in choosing the groups
11:38
and you can have some fun with it too
11:40
right because if the students aren’t
11:41
going to be working together and as as
11:44
silly as this sounds of the setting
11:47
really matters I’m very fortunate to
11:49
work in a school that has an auditorium
11:51
so we can make liberal use of that
11:54
auditorium for these type of events you
11:57
need a big space to try to do just
11:59
within your classroom sometimes is very
12:01
difficult so for instance like this is a
12:03
picture taking out the federal
12:05
provincial conference where we use you
12:08
know the amphitheater there and you know
12:12
get your department head to you know
12:14
invest in some flags I know that sounds
12:16
silly and they’re immensely expensive I
12:18
should stop you but it’s also it sets it
12:22
sets the tone for the events and if the
12:24
tone is properly set as we know in our
12:27
classrooms on a daily basis then you’re
12:28
going to go off more success from your
12:30
students now there are some cautions I
12:36
would point out one of them is that
12:38
sometimes you can get into the world
12:39
your world of counterfactual history
12:42
where they come up with they don’t play
12:45
the role properly then this creates an
12:48
issues hopefully though if they’ve taken
12:50
the research stage of this whole process
12:52
seriously then that won’t happen at the
12:55
same time if you do get an unexpected
12:57
result and then when you teach you know
12:59
what would actually happen or what you
13:02
predict would happen I mean that in
13:04
itself can be eliminating for for
13:06
everybody as I said the unexpected
13:08
consequences you know when for instance
13:10
piece breaks out all over or you end up
13:13
with a
13:14
the NDP somehow supporting the
13:16
conservatives in a minority government
13:18
which is you know we’ve seen everything
13:21
this last 12 months so kudos right that
13:25
doesn’t seem to make any sense but
13:26
you’ve got in Quebec right now you got
13:28
you know Andy people you’re switching to
13:29
the Conservatives as you know in the
13:30
last two weeks so who knows ideology may
13:33
not actually be a guiding force anymore
13:35
the really important part is it be
13:37
briefing afterwards and it which from my
13:39
experience has to really be in the time
13:42
just after the simulation like if you do
13:44
it the same day when all the passions
13:47
are still there I thought that’s a
13:49
that’s a very good useful thing the
13:51
student buy-in is absolutely crucial but
13:53
one of the nice things about doing
13:55
leasing at the grade 11 or 12 level
13:57
especially is that students after grade
13:59
10 don’t have to take history and so we
14:01
tend to get some really motivated kids
14:03
when we do these things the other thing
14:06
I want to talk a little bit about and
14:08
all the materials by the way for any of
14:11
those simulations except for this one
14:12
are on our website at the vci so I think
14:16
you know we’ve mean everybody’s been
14:18
stealing since Socrates so feel free to
14:20
rip it off use it make it better not be
14:23
granted share it with me the 1981 first
14:27
ministers conference simulation that
14:28
have been working on for a bit of time
14:30
now really comes out of mind interest in
14:33
in these events which i think you know
14:35
obviously we live in the shadow of that
14:38
event still Trudeau’s famous you know
14:42
quotation and the second last day of the
14:44
conference when he goes out to the media
14:45
to announce this new alliance you know
14:48
between he and running lavaca on having
14:49
a national referendum and he says
14:52
famously a Mekons among the pigeons I I
14:54
wanted to include that only because with
14:57
this particular simulation the student
14:59
that you get to play the role the
15:00
federal government and probably three of
15:03
them really has to have a certain shall
15:07
we say swagger in order to pull this off
15:10
the other thing is
15:14
besides the fact that you know we can
15:17
all teach the basic history of it is it
15:20
gives you a really good opportunity to
15:22
challenge some preconceived notions that
15:24
the students have and sometimes that the
15:25
teachers have by looking at some of the
15:27
documents that have just recently become
15:30
available for us obviously you’ve got
15:33
all of the memoirs most of which are
15:35
really and might be quite bad Trudeau’s
15:38
particularly disappointing the vax
15:40
particularly bitter but at the same time
15:43
you you do have you know on the
15:46
anniversary of the Petri a shin 30 10
15:49
verse a couple years ago you’ve got some
15:51
really interesting stuff coming up a lot
15:53
of the op-ed pieces for instance that
15:55
you saw in the globe and in other places
15:58
Brian peppered for some strange reason
16:01
the former premier of newfoundland is is
16:03
still grasping it desperately I think
16:06
desperately grasping at relevance and
16:09
he’d say you know write an op-ed piece
16:11
almost every other year on this the fact
16:15
that you know you can even have the
16:16
students looking at for instance the
16:18
actual kitchen Accord negotiated by
16:20
correcting and memory and Romanum it was
16:23
interesting there you know it’s in it’s
16:24
in handwriting and and just like it
16:26
means that tactic historical documentary
16:28
to look at the best part being when
16:30
they’re looking at opting out with
16:31
compensation incorrect hands Hannah and
16:33
you see never hidden on the side so it
16:37
it gets them into you know what the
16:38
actual positions work Howard Leeson just
16:41
recently released the Patrian minute he
16:45
was the deputy minister from
16:46
Saskatchewan and kept minutes throughout
16:48
the whole thing and now these have now
16:51
been released which really if you’re
16:55
interested in doing your own research on
16:56
this highly recommend because he
16:59
certainly tries to make the argument
17:01
that some of the other participants
17:04
don’t get their due clearly Romanow does
17:08
for instance and others but people like
17:12
Bill Davis for instance
17:14
and Lackey who comes out very very well
17:16
in his interpretation speaking of the
17:20
long disregarded correspondence between
17:23
Peter Lockheed and ran in the back
17:25
afterwards I don’t know if you’re
17:26
familiar with these but in terms of
17:30
preparing students for what will be you
17:31
know if I hesitate to call them you know
17:35
sort of post love letters between you
17:38
know Alex but logic attempt to explain
17:41
his behavior at that conference and I
17:43
love actual response and the luggage
17:44
responses it is really is really quite
17:47
fascinating so you get an opportunity
17:49
without I’ve simulation really to to
17:52
really get the kids into some primary
17:53
document research and then a debriefing
17:56
afterwards I hope when I’m really
18:00
hopeful that they will not come to an
18:01
agreement I’m going to be interesting to
18:03
see what kind of alliances they come up
18:06
with so that was still in process which
18:08
I look forward to I think the other
18:10
thing that this type of experience gives
18:12
the student is thing about this i was
18:15
driving here this morning then in a
18:17
sense you know we live in an interesting
18:19
political time you know with sort of
18:23
rather clear dog-whistle politics and
18:27
divisions and you know i don’t know how
18:29
the next two weeks is going to go up
18:30
it’s getting ugly shall we say and
18:34
regardless of your positions of who you
18:36
know who got the better part of this
18:38
deal and whether it really was and out
18:40
of the long arms one of the things that
18:41
strikes me in least my own research into
18:44
it is that the level of principal debate
18:49
yes you know regulo Beck was you know
18:51
calling Trudeau Elliot’s and so forth
18:54
and making references to purely avec
18:55
herbs but there is a level of principal
18:58
debate in this that I think students can
19:00
learn a lot from because in the end what
19:03
the
19:04
I think on a larger scale what they’re
19:06
still what we are still fighting about
19:09
in some senses about the very nature of
19:10
equality in this country whether it’s
19:12
equality provinces whether it’s a
19:14
quality of Nations it’s the quality of
19:15
individuals you know somewhat paraphrase
19:18
Stephen Clarkson you know they lose
19:20
issues you know haunt us still and so
19:23
this type of activity I think from
19:25
hoping anyway we’ll have a very fruitful
19:28
experience for students thanks everyone
19:38
will join me in thanking our
20:01
you