As of August 2010, CM Instructors will be able to access multiple CM Country Accounts with one login, meaning educators who run Civic Mirror with more than one class of students can switch between them without having to log in and out every time. I know - awesome!

Step 1: Select “Instructor Login” up above.

The first thing you will notice is the choice between “Student Login” and “Instructor Login.” Students will continue logging in with their CM username, country name, and password, but the procedure for instructors is different.

Step 2: Logging In

In order for us to allow instructors to jump between CM Country Accounts we needed to create a universal access point, so we chose to use the Action-Ed Account. Instructors will now log into civicmirror.com with the same logins they use for www.action-ed.com (i.e. email address and password … NO country names).

What’s great about this is educators can now retain a consistent identity throughout the Civic Mirror Community. Instead of being “Teacher of Country A” and then “Teacher of Country B,” educators will be themselves, making it easier to develop relationships with other CM Educators.

This is what the CM Login page for Instructors looks like.

Don’t worry, if you forgot your Action-Ed login information, you can always click the “Lost your password?” link at the bottom; it will take you to the webpage that allows you to reset it.

Step 3: Switching Countries

Once inside civicmirror.com instructors can toggle between countries using their “Settings” page. Instructors can also ‘retire’ countries they no longer use. This may help speed up the switching process.

Step4: Switching Countries Upon Logout

Another way you can switch countries is by simply clicking the “Logout” button. The logout pop-up box now has an option that will allow you to “Switch Countries,” taking you to your settings page.

This feature has been a long time coming. We hope it excites some of you as much as it excites us. If you have any questions about the new system or need help getting started, please contact us.

Here are seven tips that will help you get the Civic Mirror off to a fun and fast-paced start.

COMMIT EARLY AND DIVE IN

The goal here is to pique your students’ interest right away. Also, if you plan on linking attitude and effort-based metrics to the game-start money and Hidden Agendas you will assign them with in the Citizen Profiles stage (e.g. punctuality, task completion, participation), then telling them on the first class usually gets students jazzed up right away … and often the ones you would least suspect.

Specifically, I would …

1. Introduce CM on the first day of classes, after you introduce the course content. Then, assign the first set of readings (that correspond to “Reading Check #1″ at the back of the Instructor’s Manual) for homework the next day. Tell your students they “can take as many hand-written/printed notes as they like to use for tomorrow’s open book reading check … you just want to ‘check’ that they’ve read it.”

2. Book your computer lab for the Practice Run on your 3rd class. Basically, in the first class you’ll introduce the curriculum and the Civic Mirror. In the second class you’ll conduct the reading check, mark it as a class, and move on to other course-beginning items of business. Then, at the end of the Class 2, assign the second set of readings (corresponding to “Reading Check #2″) for Class 3. In Class 3 you will start with Reading Check #2 and then, instead of marking it as a class, move straight into the Practice Run sequence of events (which are outlined in the Instructor’s Manual). Leave the group-marking of “Reading Check #2″ for Class 4.

Remember, because you’ve made the reading checks open book, anyone can succeed … making them “effort” tasks that you could link to the $$ assignments a few weeks down the road.

PLAN TO COMPLETE PRE-GAME EVENTS WITHIN 3 WEEKS

The pre-game events, where students build their nation, are lots of fun and could very easily be extended for quite some time. A few recommendations to keep the Civic Mirror enthusiasm alive and kicking:

3. Set a date for the Hex Auction early on and tell your students about this date. This will keep you focused and keep things moving.

4. Pre-select readings to run along side of the pre-game events and schedule reading checks. The whole point of doing this is to plan what chapters you want to link the Citizen Profile Hidden Agendas and money to so you can pick a “distribution date” in advance. Then, be sure to communicate the readings and the ‘distribution date’ to your students so they can gear up for it.

* Remember to tell your students that the open book reading checks (and any other attitude/effort metrics you decide to use) will be linked to these assignments.

Ultimately, this will force you to plan well, start the course at a good pace, and it will motivate your students to do well. I think you’ll be surprise by how much more your students will read when they know that their open book performance will be linked to their Citizen Profile assignments. I always love warning students (in an endearing manner of course) who don’t do their readings or continually arrive late, “You know, I don’t know how happy your Civic Mirror family is going to be when they see your game-starting bank account statement.” It’s amazing how motivating this is.

5. Have students “Create their National Identity” by the end of the 2nd week. This process takes two, 30-minute chunks of time that can be reserved at the end of two classes that week.

6. Consider skipping the “National Constitution” jigsaw activity if time is a real issue. This activity is GREAT in a civics or government class … but if time is an issue, then this would be event you could skip over then return to once the game is up and running.

7. Plan an “Elections Week” where you commit to completing i) the political party formation, ii) the campaign debates, and iii) the ballot-casting. One week is plenty of time to do this and, in order to reserve class time to cover content and connect how it relates to their developing CM Country, I often assign students to do their campaigning online in the discussion forums.

Hopefully these tips help you get the Civic Mirror off to a fun and quick start!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

The Civic Mirror

During the first week of July 2010, seven teacher-authors from across North America met in White Rock, BC to begin working on the Civic Mirror Learning Resource pack. The event was electric and the finished product is going to be like nothing else, taking CM into the pedagogical stratosphere as a primary social studies resource for teachers.

From Left to Right:

Amy Ross, M.Ed. (Action-Ed): Event host and facilitator.

Kelly Devenish, M.Ed. (The Woodlands School, Mississauga, ON): Author of the forthcoming “Rights and Responsibilities of Democratic Citizens” and “Financial Goal Setting and Entrepreneurship” learning modules.

Paul Chaffee, M.Ed. (Heritage Woods Secondary School, Port Moody, BC): Author of the forthcoming “Global Issues” learning module.

Cheryl Payne-Stevens, M.Ed. (The Woodlands School, Mississauga, ON): Author of the forthcoming “Power and the Political-Economic Spectrum” and “Canada’s Democratic History” learning modules.

Brenda Ball, M.Ed. (Crofton House, Vancouver, BC): Author of the “National Pursuits of Happiness” and “Justice and the Judicial Branches” learning modules.

Matt Anderson, M.Ed. (Community College of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PA): Author of the forthcoming “Market Forces: Supply, Demand, and Price” and “Government and the Economy” learning modules.

Lizanne Foster, M.Ed. (Queen Elizabeth Secondary, Surrey, BC): Author of the forthcoming “Viewing Your World (in Multiple Perspectives)” and “Managing Conflict, Effective Communication, and Community Building” learning modules.

Download SS10 Civic Mirror Unit

BACKGROUND FACTS

* Social Studies 11 is Massive
In British Columbia, students are not required to take a social studies course in Gr. 12. As a result, the Social Studies 11 is massive in its scope so as to ensure students graduate with a solid understanding of what it means to be Canadian.

* As a Result, It’s Challenging to Teach
Given the size of SS11, and the fact that it is provincially examinable, teaching all of the content and concepts in a way that is meaningful is a challenge to say the least.

* Plus There are Added Difficulties
There is no remedial version of SS11, unlike the English, Math, and Science curricular strands (and no, Civics 11 is just as difficult as SS11); consequently, teaching this high-level course to a diverse range of learners – all of who have to write its provincial exam – is even more challenging, if not downright stressful.

* Also, the SS11 Content is Complex and Abstract
The content and concepts taught in SS11 are abstract and very complex. A case could easily be made that students require a fundamental understanding of Canadian politics, basic economics, and “citizenship” in order to fully grasp many of the SS11 learning outcomes (e.g. the rise of fascism in the 1920s due to economic hardship, the importance and significance of the human rights movement, or the global decision making process in light of resource shortages and overpopulation).

* Prior Courses Don’t Help Develop Requisite Knowledge for SS11
The current social studies curriculum in British Columbia focuses on history from Gr. 7 -10 and, consequently, do not provide students with enough opportunities to develop the requisite knowledge to fully grasp SS11’s high-level concepts given the teaching and learning circumstances outlined above.

PURPOSE OF THE CIVIC MIRROR IN SOCIAL STUDIES 10

* What is the Civic Mirror?
The Civic Mirror is a simulation-based program that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens, providing students with opportunities to experientially learn about law, government, economics, and responsible citizenship. This curricular proposal suggests that SS10 teachers condense their existing scope and sequences by 5 weeks in order to work through the Civic Mirror program so that their students may better understand the concepts taught in SS11.

* Experiential Understanding = Better Learning Afterward
By the end of the unit students will have an experiential understanding of the purpose and functionality of law, government, and the economy, which will help them better grasp the learning outcomes in SS10 (making up for the lost calendar time) and SS11. In fact, if this became a department-wide social studies initiative, the SS11 Government unit could be covered in an opening review in a week or so, freeing up huge portions of calendar time to cover the monster history unit and the human geography unit.

Worth the Investment in Time
In sum, using the Civic Mirror in SS10 will help students better understand and appreciate everything else they are required to learn about nations, governments, laws, economies, and citizenship in SS10 and SS11. Yes, it may take up a lot of time in Gr. 10, but if you view SS10 and SS11 as one continuous course instead of two separate ones, it’s well worth the investment.

< <   DOWNLOAD BC’S SOCIAL STUDIES 10 + CIVIC MIRROR UNIT OVERVIEW > >

The citizens of  Sauga City began discussions about the ownership of their Energy/Industry (E/I) hex early in the morning on June 14, 2010, the property that powers the entire Civic Mirror economy. Sauga City is grade 10 class from Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary in   Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and lead fearlessly by instructor Kirsten Anthon.   The Government began the discussion with their post:

“Should the Government take full responsibility for the E/I hex in the year 2001, or a private citizen?

This is NOT a Referendum, just a census. The Government currently has no plans to take the E/I hex from its owner, but now is the time to voice your opinion if you feel that we should.”

Stephen G responded first,”

“The government needs to control the EI hex. We let a private citizen control it and it was handled irresponsibly with the majority of people losing someone in their family due to the poor handling of the EI hex.”

Gurman responded,

“I believe that the government already took many units from the e/i, the deaths were also actually cause of the government. They could have powered other things than the security. That would have meant 7 less deaths.”

This is a difficult decision for any country to make.  Citizens feel they should trust their government but can the private sector handle these utilities, and the power that comes with them, better?