Welcome to the Real World

          It may just be me but I am terrified of the real world. Thinking about leaving school where I always know what is expected for me and knowing my schedule for the next couple of months, everything just seems so easy. Maybe I am scared to leave the education system because I feel like have never been prepared for actual real world problems. Problems like budgeting or finding passion outside of school.  Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2015) note the importance of integrating these real world problems into your classroom.  These problems can vary from budgeting your life in math class to trying to solve nation wide problems such as world peace...

World health organization. (Nov 3, 2015). Retrieved from Wikipedia website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization

            This is exactly what John Hunter does. Mr. Hunter is a 4^th grade teacher who has created the “World Peace Game”. This game is four big pieces of plexiglass above and below each other, which represents different parts of the atmosphere (sky, ground, underwater, ect). There are four different counties around the board, where some are rich and some are poor with different assets, each country has a cabinet. Each country int he game is represented by a different group of students, where one is the prime minister and the other students make up the rest of the cabinet. There is also a “weather goddess” in the game, who spontaniously decides weather and stock market changes. With this there is also a 13 page crisis document that had 50 interlocking world problems that are social, economic and military issues, such as war, oil spills, famine, endangered species, and global warming. All 50 of these problems need to be solved and every county has to end with more money compared to the start before winning the game for everyone to win the game. This game has become so influential they have created a movie about it called World Peace and Other Fourth-Grade Achievements, here is the trailer. 

Rosalia Films. (Sept 7, 2010). World peace and other fourth-grade achievements extended trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCq8V2EhYs0

          It is extraordinary to think that 4^th graders can be solving real world problems that can’t even seem to be solved to this day. This is a great example of inquiry based learning, in this kind of learning students find creative ways to problems solve and make sense of their own world around them to solve complex problems (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2015). Mr. Hunter’s purpose for these games was to get his students ready for anything that they have to face outside of his class and to help solve the problems that past generations have made. He also wanted to give his students problems that they would challenge them but questions that intrigue them, though these two points conflicts it makes students want to further learn. This is exactly what inquiry based learning should do in the classroom, it gives students ownership over their work, and it is thought as 'play' instead of work (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2015). Mr. Hunters grade 4 classes is encouraged to use long term, collective and critical thinking. I believe that Mr. Hunter is pushing is students to not fear any problems that come their ways, and encouraging them to go out into the real world and follow their passion!

Educator John Hunter talks with chapter 16 about the world peace game. (July 11, 2013). Retrieved from Nashville Scene website:http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/educator-john-hunter-talks-with-chapter-16-about-the-world-peace-game/Content?oid=3458069

            To my audience of future teachers and teachers, this inquiry based learning is tangible for every classroom, and gives everyone of us the opportunity to help our students learn how to solve these real world problems. This way every student can be ready for the real world with open arms!

References 

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st-century learner. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.
Hunter J. (2011, March). John hunter: Teaching with the world peace game [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/john_hunter_on_the_world_peace_game?language=en