Teaching with MAKING HISTORY®

Today’s students are "always on"--they see video games, the Internet, and cell phones as technological standards, not innovations. How can we engage these digital students? How can they become critical thinkers and enthusiastic learners? Here is how MAKING HISTORY answers those questions and answers questions typically asked by teachers.

MAKING HISTORY:

Excites students
Combining the entertainment of games with the richness of history, MAKING HISTORY lets students interact with the past. Students want to play. They want to respond to international challenges, make thoughtful decisions, and explore this complex, fun game.

Engages all levels
MAKING HISTORY captivates top and average students, but it also pulls the uninvolved and struggling into its historical world. This game gives all students a new entry into learning history. For those frustrated by traditional methods, MAKING HISTORY can change their understanding and appreciation of history.

Rewards learning
The more students know about the countries they play, the better their chances of success. Students are motivated to refer to class lectures and readings. MAKING HISTORY also inspires students to go beyond assigned learning and seek out additional readings, maps, data, and more.

Adapts to your classroom needs
MAKING HISTORY can be played during class or as homework. An entire class, a small group, or an individual student can lead a country. Each style of play provides a different learning experience. Adapt the game to best suit your students’ needs.

Supports evaluations of every move
Instructors are not limited to peering over students’ shoulders. Use the Observer mode to watch students play. Afterwards, review key moments with Walkthrough mode and Reports. These tools support assessment of student experiences and encourage student reflection.

Ties assessment to historic objectives
Students are scored on the economic, diplomatic, military, and industrial strength of their nations. Instructors can set victory conditions and the game's difficulty level.

Teachers' FAQs

What technical skills do I need?
You don't need special technical skills to play MAKING HISTORY. All you need are computers that meet the technical requirements and a willingness to try something new! The Teacher's Checklist will help you prepare your computers, and your class.

How do I integrate MAKING HISTORY into my teaching?
The Instructor's Guide explores the meaningful integration of MAKING HISTORY into the classroom. Support materials, like the game tutorial, help introduce the game to your students. Typically, students play MAKING HISTORY after having completed some World War II lectures and readings as this grounding helps them enter the game world.

How do I make room for the game in my curriculum?
The MAKING HISTORY experience takes time, but offers a great return on investment; students expand their critical thinking and decision-making skills, engage in course materials, and increase their understanding and retention of information.

How can MAKING HISTORY teach “real” history?
As they play, students create unique global situations. These departures from history are valuable teaching opportunities; by asking students to compare and contrast the game to history, they explore how the choices they make determined the flow of events; they learn that history is not inevitable.

Is MAKING HISTORY "just" a war game?
While military features are built into the game—reflecting the realities of the 1930s and 1940s—students must make military decisions in the context of the economic and diplomatic considerations that also existed at the time. In MAKING HISTORY war is only one option among many, and the consequences of choosing that option can be severe.