Members of the Elon University community recently participated in the 11th Annual Summer Institute on Reacting to the Past at Barnard College in New York City.
Reacting to the Past consists of elaborate games, set in the past, in which students are assigned roles informed by classic texts in the history of ideas. Class sessions are run entirely by students; instructors advise and guide students and grade their oral and written work. It seeks to draw students into the past, promote engagement with big ideas, and improve intellectual and academic skills.
Megan Squire, associate professor of computing sciences, led conference participants through a two-day version of her educational role-playing game Rage Against the Machine, about the early industrial revolution in Manchester, England.
Tony Crider, associate professor of physics, and Alexandra Solender, a double major in physics and science education, participated in several of the STEM-focused conference games, including Kansas 1999, Creationism or Evolution, Challenging the Food Pyramid, and Ways and Means.
During the concurrent sessions, Crider chaired on a panel titled “The Future of Active Learning: RTTP, Simulations, Gaming, and More” that also included Nick Proctor (Simpson College) and Natasha Gill (Barnard College). He also gave a talk on his work with colleagues to adapt the Reacting to the Past pedagogy for use in science classes.