Involving
Students in Simulated (and Real) Democratic Processes and Procedures:
Teacher
Reflections
Basalt
High School’s Project Citizen Showcase: Observations and
Reflections By Gail Schatz and Barbara Miller
One
of the highlights of our work with Project Citizen is to support
teachers who are providing students with authentic civic experiences.
The week before spring break, we had the opportunity to observe
a school showcase (one of three) that Ben Bohmfalk organized
for 80 students in his Fundamentals of Democracy classes at
Basalt High School.
We
are sharing our experience at the showcase to highlight one
example of how a showcase of student work (presentations to
local, state, and federal policy-makers) provided powerful evidence
that study of public policy can be a catalyst for developing
important civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
Local
Headlines Tell Part of the Story
When we arrived, Ben handed us a folder of clippings
from the Aspen Times illustrating the success that his students had
in attracting the attention of local media to the public issues they
were studying, Junior student, Kyle Zajac, was quoted in an article
in the Aspen Times, “Senate Committee Kills Wildlife Bill,”
and he took calls from listeners on the local NPR station about alternatives
that he and classmates, Lacey Snyder and Jeremias Alvarez, developed
for protecting wildlife and people on Highway 82. A letter to the
editor, “Tackling teen drinking,” by student Emily Taets,
explains why a teen recreation and alcohol deterrence center would
be the best approach to the problem. The Basalt Town Council heard
the proposal on March 22 and is now studying it.
Student Reflections about Their Interaction
with Policy Makers
We also had an opportunity to read reflection
papers that groups of students who had presented earlier in the week
had written about their experience. Here are some excerpts:
About
School:
During this project, I realized something about school. The
objective isn’t just to give our parents somewhere to
keep us occupied. The purpose of school is to sculpt us into
functioning members of society. The reason being--our government
is based on the peoples’ wants and needs. School is just
making sure our decisions are well educated and well informed
when we want change.
About School Boards:
What I learned was that the people from the school board will
listen to everyone as long as you have a good presentation and
information. I also learned that they are normal people like
us and that they are open to good ideas.
About Town Boards:
My understanding of the community has changed because I know
realize that there is always something to be done and the more
people that help the better. I realize that government is a
slow process and I see now all of the things that the Town Council
has to consider and what they do. When I was younger I thought
that being mayor was kind of like being a king. You ruled over
the land with force and you didn’t have to do that much.
I realize now that being the mayor or on the town council that
you need to work hard to achieve success.
About other students:
Our group worked hard on this project and we could see results
if we pursed it. I really enjoyed working with people that I
normally wouldn’t hang out with on weekends. I know that
if we pursue our plan that we will see it happen and that it
is one of the best feelings in the world. To know that you have
designed something that will benefit the community and see it
working and benefiting young people would greatly please me.
About taking risks:
The biggest risk that I took was presenting the case to the
Town Council. We didn’t know if they were going to oppose
or support our policy. It ended up that they agreed with us.
It feels great now.
The
Basalt Showcase Model
Basalt students presented policy proposals to
authentic audiences on three evenings in the same week. Presentations
were made to the Roaring Fork School Board, the Basalt Town Council,
and to county and federal officials. The local access television station
captured the presentation for broadcast in Basalt.)
Students were poised and confident as they interacted with experts,
Pitkin County Commissioner Patti Clapper and Dan Gibbs, Western Slope
Field Director for Representative Mark Udall. To highlight research
findings and proposals, they created charts, survey results, petitions,
portfolios, summary handouts, power point presentations, and websites.
Parents and other citizens who attended the showcase also engaged
in the discussion. The students demonstrated an understanding of many
complex issues by responding to both friendly and challenging questions
about policy options currently under debate in the community.
Each of the groups demonstrated an ability to frame the problem that
they studied as a policy question. Each group also showed that they
understood where to go in government to get a particular problem solved.
The questions they pursued were:
•
Should the BLM permit gas drilling on land that is currently
restricted for grazing and wilderness?
• Should something be done to keep wildlife off county,
state, and federal highways?
• Should stem cell research be expanded at the federal
and/or state level?
• Should county boundaries be changed so that Basalt residents
(of Eagle Country) don’t have to drive 90 miles to the
county seat?
• Should a state law that prohibits undocumented workers
from taking a driving test be changed to improve traffic safety?
• Should 16-year-olds be allowed to smoke in Basalt when
it’s against the law for them to buy cigarettes?
Policy-makers
showed their respect for and interest in student work by asking
challenging questions and making practical suggestions for next
steps. Some examples:
•
“How will your policy make the community safer?”
• “The Mexican consulate is a good contact for this
issue. Let me give you her business card.”
• “I’ll be at the legislature next week, if
you like, I hand deliver a letter to the chair of the transportation
committee?”
• “What ideas do you have for building coalitions
to meet your goal?” “This will require a change
in the Colorado Constitution.”
• “What do you think is the biggest problem for
you to solve to get this adopted?”
• “There’s a joint meeting of Eagle and Pitkin
County Commissioners next week, are you prepared to present
your ideas at that meeting?”
• “What about the energy companies and their employees?
Have you considered their needs and point of view in offering
a policy proposal that would restrict drilling for gas and oil?”
Why Are We Doing This?
When teachers introduce Project Citizen, some
students resist full participation in project learning. We were
impressed that so many students had demonstrated high-level civic
knowledge, skill and disposition outcomes:
• Students demonstrated a “real time” understanding
of how government works in Basalt and the Roaring Fork Valley.
• The students felt powerful as citizens. They know where
to go in government to get action and they are motivated to
stay involved.
• They realized that they learned practical participation
skills that will serve them the rest of their lives.
• Many indicated that this learning experience was more
than a school assignment. Parents validated this observation
by calling to thank Ben for making learning practical and meaningful.
But, what did the students think? How did they answer the “Why
am I doing this?” question?
“At first, we were motivated to work hard because our entire
grade for the quarter was based on our ability to use the Project
Citizen process to find a solution to a problem that we cared about.
But then we found that we were really interested in making Basalt
a better place.”
We also asked students about the issues they selected. We learned
that some were selected for very personal reasons. One student’s
interest in stem cell research was sparked because his mother has
MS. Another student from a ranching family was interested in the
economic impacts of expanding drilling for oil. She spent time talking
with people in the valley whose livelihood depends on expanding
drilling. One girl in the class made the decision to forgo her family’s
trip to Mexico because she would miss the showcase.
