• Using simulations
• Combining methodologies
• Constructivism and civics
• Creating groups
• Guiding the process
• Debate rules
• Gauging success
• Teaching challenges
• Lessons learned
• Advice to other teachers
• His background

Matt Johnson: It's that initial introduction, where I stop talking and it's now on them. That's usually the hardest part. There's the natural reaction of "Well, what do you really want us to do?" [or] "I'm not sure. I'm not clear on what you're asking us to do." That's hard in the sense that I'm going to have to move around to all the groups and be fairly quick about my movements. If you stay with one group too long, the other folks, if they're not clear, are going to sit there and may lose some time.

Some of these students are pretty contentious and will have headstrong ideas. Whether we can craft compromise on some items is uncharted waters, I guess.

In the simulation I don't know the outcome but that's not a bad thing. The process, I think, is really one of the more valuable lessons.