Help me love the Urbanization Game...

Wow, Erin Cunningham  what a great video! I, too, struggle with the urbanization game. I was first introduced to it in my APSI, and have done this for 20 years. However, as you mention, I have struggled with the time vs impact component of this activity. The OER version is much better than my original version, and I model the size of items by completing a version for students as they complete. As such, my version takes 2 hours (2 blocks) -- and the bonus is, I make about 5 copies of my version for students who were absent from day 1 or who were totally off on their scale that they couldn't complete the lesson. 

I tend to use this activity as a visual of CCOT -- hang onto that original round 1 drawing and see what happens by round 12. I will refer to this throughout the history of the 19th & 20th century. That tends to help make the learning stick well beyond the anxiety inducing drawing. 

Hi Gwen Duralek , I like your connection to CCOT and that you complete the assignment with your students. Gives me something to consider for next time! Thank you!

Hi Erin Cunningham !  I've used this powerpoint forever (it probably came from Euro colleagues) and this lays it out well.  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1H9D5rJHDngKQowbz6HT04rkfbFYs-gbu/copy 

Thanks Ane Lintvedt ! I like that your version combines the instructions with the narrative. Thank you for sharing the slides with me!

Hello Erin Cunningham 

I completely understand the challenges with this activity. That said, it is one of if not my favorites. First, I make sure every student in my class grabs a rather large sheet of paper, then I tell them to get into groups of 2 - 3. I tell the students to write the word Urbanization in the center, then tell the students to flip the sheet over to the other side where it is blank. I frame the activity as a project like so: Congrats! You have been hired as an urban planner for a firm to build a new neighborhood in our downtown city area. Before you can begin, you must study effects and planning, or lack thereof, of how urbanization impacts communities. To do this, you will be part of a simulation that involved the study of Urbanization in England during the early days of the Industrial Revolution. I inform them this is a 100 point project that must include all features or they will fail. I play up the stress because I believe the stress is part of the impact of urbanization. I read the long descriptions in a very long drawn out way with a british accent. My students find great humor but also do get frustrated. Once done with the readings I show the slides like you do. This is typically broken down into two class periods. When we get to the end, I have students return to the word and define urbanization now they are done with the activity. They then write three questions Urbanization raises. Again, I really play up the dramatic elements but I understand this is not for everyone. I am a bit of a ham when it comes to these type of things and my students buy into it because of the committment. 

Thanks Jeffrey Boles  for your breakdown of the activity. It sounds like I need to lean into the role playing side of this activity to enjoy it more. I end up feeling bogged down by questions but I think I can take care of that on the front end using some of your framing.

It has to be one of my favorite activities to do with students.  It's fun, it's super engaging, and it covers a lot of content that we can later unpack. That all being said, one other reason I make sure to do it every year is I get to use it as a reference throughout the course.  I make it a competition and the three or four best drawings in each class get hung up on the board on the side of the room.  Whenever we discuss urbanization, class divides, impacting of technology, etc. I simply gesture towards the pictures and it seems like a helpful reminder of what they experience creating the drawings and (hopefully) what they learned about it.  

Totally agree Todd Nussen . I hang mine on our timeline wall, as well. The students are super engaged, although yes there are sighs and students do get frustrated as it carries on. That said, it's all in good fun and they do get it at the end. 

Yeah, I do think it's not an activity to overthink too much. I try to play up the aspect the Industrial Revolution was not a smooth and orderly transition from one event to the next. It was uneven. So when I read the narratives I go super slow, then incredibly fast. It throws them off a bit. Also, something you might want to consider is showing them images of urban maps from the 19th century in London. Their final products should be somewhat similar. 

Timeline wall - that sounds cool.  Do you hang up student work in chronological progression or something?