CIRCLE Online Seminar - Resources

The American Library Association ALA Center for Civic Life (CCL) promotes engagement and fosters public deliberation through libraries. Launched in 2010 in conjunction with the Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forum Institute, the Center is building the capacity of libraries and librarians to help citizens get more engaged in the civic life of their communities.

The Purpose of this section is both to promote exemplary undergraduate teaching within the political science discipline and to the scholarship of teaching. The section is especially dedicated to increasing the use of innovative teaching methods, particularly those rooted in experience ( internships, service learning, simulations, and study abroad) and the evaluation of such methods.

The APSA Teaching and Learning Conference is a unique meeting in which APSA strives to promote greater understanding of cutting-edge approaches, techniques, and methodologies for the political science classroom. The conference provides a forum for scholars to share effective and innovative teaching and learning models and to discuss broad themes and values of political science education--especially the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Developed by Tufts University's Tisch College and Emerson University's Engagement Game Lab -- Where civic engagement meets social gaming. We believe learning becomes even more powerful when you have fun doing it. Civic Seed is an experimental gaming and teaching platform designed to do just that. By playing Civic Seed, you'll learn more about yourself and your peers, Tuft's host communities, how to build mutually beneficial relationships with them, and the philosophies behind meaningful and effective civic engagement. Best of all, you'll be certified by Tufts to engage with the vibrant host communities it partners with, and build your own Civic Resume as you play!

The Foundation seeks to foster the concept of peace not as a utopian dream but as an attainable goal to strive for, and to stimulate the creative development of tools for this effort. It supports development of collaboration and communication skills for resolving and transforming conflicts, and the development of the skills of compromise, all while accommodating different perspectives and interests.

good intro to participatory budgeting from Frontiers of Democracy conference in 2012

The Middle School Public Debate Program is designed to foster debate participation in class and in competition. Students who debate in class may use any number of debate formats to facilitate research, discussion, and deliberation on important issues and events as well as topics derived from the curriculum. Students who debate in competition use a unique debate format designed for middle school students. The MSPDP format is the only competitive debate format designed for students in the middle grades in cooperation with middle school teachers. The format draws from multiple popular debate formats and educational standards to combine rigorous practice and preparation with accessibility and fun. To learn more about the MSPDP debate format, click here , or go to the Curriculum Center .

n January 2014, the City of Boston will launch a groundbreaking participatory budgeting (PB) process which will engage Boston youth in directly deciding how to spend $1 million of the city's capital budget. Through participatory budgeting, young Bostonians will identify projects to improve their communities, vet those projects, consider trade-offs, and vote on how to spend the $1 million.

The Teaching with Primary Sources Program works with colleges and other educational organizations to deliver professional development programs that help teachers use the Library of Congress's rich reservoir of digitized primary source materials to design challenging, high-quality instruction.

Have you ever avoided discussing controversial issues in the classroom? Teachers report often avoiding these types of discussions due to concerns about the unpredictability of student reactions, accusations of trying to push a political agenda, and insufficient knowledge or skills to work through complex issues. Debates, however, have been shown to have a direct and positive impact on students' critical thinking skills and democratic commitments. With some preparation and facilitation techniques, teachers' concerns can be addressed and open discussions of current events and social issues can become an extremely rewarding experience for both teachers and their students.

Take a look at Youth Speak Collective, which targets "natural" leaders, rather than student body officers. Youth Speak Collective is a youth-driven organization founded on the idea that all young people can succeed if provided with the right opportunities. We follow a "for youth, by youth" philosophy in which young people are empowered to help design and implement our programs.

Example of a lesson plan from Close Up that they use by teachers (or others who work with youth) that use our methodology, even if they don't focus on the type of content we typically discuss during a program in Washington.

Example of a lesson plan from Close Up that they use by teachers (or others who work with youth) that use our methodology, even if they don't focus on the type of content we typically discuss during a program in Washington.

Example of a lesson plan from Close Up that they use by teachers (or others who work with youth) that use our methodology, even if they don't focus on the type of content we typically discuss during a program in Washington.

Why not have students experience Congress for themselves? For this simulation students decide their political party, choose a state, and become a Congressperson, proposing and debating bills on issues they are concerned about! Real Congresspeople speaking on different issues can easily be included through C-SPAN.

Looking for an interactive way to teach about the legislative branch? The Youth Leadership Initiative's E-Congress program allows students to learn about Congress by writing original legislation and following it through the lawmaking process.

- See more at: http://www.congresslink.org/print_lp_simulatecongaction.htm#sthash.4eyBetIr.dpuf

from the Congress Link website

(there are many resources provided by Bar Associations in various states) - Here is one state.

Each year, the D.C. Street Law Clinic at Georgetown University Law Center develops a mock trial for use in the citywide high school mock trial competition. These mock trials are free for use by teachers in their classrooms and/or with their mock trial teams. Additional uses are prohibited. For information on additional uses of these mock trials, contact Allison Hawkins.