Rehumanizing Civic Education through Authentic Classroom Simulations and Role Plays

Abstract

Since 2021, US K-12 teachers have increasingly self-censored their instruction of political and cultural topics with or without legislative restrictions. In states with limitations on civic education pedagogy, this has harmed students' opportunities to speak, listen, and be heard in those settings. This shifting context prompted our inquiry and shaped our theoretical framework of rehumanizing social studies. To investigate this, we posed the following: How do ethical civic simulations and role-plays create rehumanizing authentic civic experiences and promote the Rights of the Learner? This qualitative study analyzes authentic and ethical secondary civics simulation curricula using critical and directed content analysis available through the Civics Renewal Network and selected sources. Purposeful selection of the curricula emphasized participatory action civics and the theoretical constructs of rehumanizing pedagogy and ethical simulations and role plays. The findings indicate that 29 of 74 simulations and role plays analyzed met five of nine constructs. Our analysis found that the civic education simulations and role plays we examined strove to honor the rights of learners by giving students opportunities to share their voice but also listen to those of their peers through defined educational experiences that build students’ capacity in civil discourse as civic actors.