We finished our final week of the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Electoral College course. The students were amazing!
Here are a few snippets of learning and engagement our course created in these classrooms.
Playing for Keeps, Grades 5-8
Students were unbelievably well informed about the election, quick studies for new and challenging scenarios, and a delight to have in these classes.
Interactive Learning Using Educational Technology
Students were presented the challenges of 2012 Presidential Election between Governor Romney and President Obama. Students attentively consulted interactive maps of the electoral votes for the 2012 election between Governor Romney and President Obama.
They tested different scenarios where the Swing States Florida and Ohio went for one candidate or the other. They were presented news reports as well and analyzed its’ accuracy. That exercise encouraged developing critical thinking skills and reducing cognitive biases.
Brand New Election Lab Board-games
We shared with students our brand-new board game that pits pairs of students against each other for a rapid-fire game of Electoral College strategy.
Students played the map as it looked for one of eight election years. They deployed limited resources across the map to win enough electoral votes to win the White House.
The Entire GATE Classroom Playing Election Lab Game.
The students in the foreground are playing the 2004 election between President Bush and Senator Kerry.
Pieces on the board are campaign resources teams deploy to win states still up for grabs. Chromebooks are used as an electronic scoreboard.
Studying Electoral College Swing State Maps
Students were given the opportunity to study Swing State maps from different election years.
After finishing one map, teams rotated to play another. They quickly learned what a “good” map looks like (i.e., each team has a fair chance, like U.S. Presidential Year 1960), and what a “bad” map looks like, (i.e., the landslide of 1988).
Our Students and Co-Designers of Election Lab Games
Richard and Williams, co-designers of the game, stand by the game to answer questions as two teams battle for the 1976 election between Ford and Carter.
Election Lab Tournament: Authentic, Realistic
We created a playoff bracket to determine the best teams. That classroom competition led to the final pair of students competing for the U.S. Presidential Election.
For the final, the teams used the electoral map as it stood a morning before the tournament, between Mr. Trump and Secretary Clinton. While the two students played to determine the winner, the rest of the class viewed the match as it was projected on the screen and voted in regular rounds of polling to predict the winner. Prizes were awarded to those students who identified the eventual winner earliest in the polling.
Thank You
Thank you to all who supported our innovative gifted education efforts and gifted students. Our goal is to be authentic and to ensure their utmost and successful overall development.
We are thrilled your students had as much fun as we did. They learned valuable lessons and civic skills that could serve them well for the rest of their lives.
Jasminka Vukanovic-Criley MD, FACP, FHM is a multiple award-winning physician, from cancer researcher, internal medicine physician, and Medical School Associate Clinical Professor to entrepreneur. She has mentored many undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students and faculty. She is the Principal Investigator on studies from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Education creating research-driven #edtech games and digital media to improve health, civics, science education, and healthy habits. Dr Criley is also a founding Board member of Physician’s Weekly. She can be reached on X at @criley_md and at www.linkedin.com/in/jasminka-criley-md