Watch the documentary “World Peace and other 4th-Grade Achievements” immediately. Formatted as a game, over the past 30 years retired teacher John Hunter has developed a critical thinking exercise that leverages the sophisticated interchange between fourth grade students. The World Peace Game Foundation describes the roots of the game like this:
In 1978, at the Richmond Community High School, Hunter led the first sessions of his World Peace Game. Over time, in a synchronous unfolding with the growing global focus on increasingly complex social and political conditions, the game has gained new impetus. As Hunter succinctly explains, “The World Peace Game is about learning to live and work comfortably in the unknown.”
The film describes a platform in which young students are empowered to learn from complex choices, good or bad, and understand the ramifications of their decisions. Mr. Hunter describes his long-term investment in the students’ decisions simply, “If just one of you is in position to leverage something good for the world, you may save us all.” The documentary is a fascinating look into how games can leverage the relationships between students and change the role of the teacher in the classroom.
Here’s a broadcast schedule of the film on public television stations.
