I was pleasantly surprised with my students’ efforts and results on the Civic Engagement project in COVID spring 2021. The student-government connections were not what they might have been in a non-pandemic year, but with proper social distancing and a reliance on email and telephone calls, several of my students engaged local government and national government.
I am a people person. I like to shake hands and ask questions. This approach assists in the Civic Engagement project. Not all students, however, are into this. But with some considerations, some modifications, and a realistic approach, most of my students created respectable products and became enlightened on the inner workings of government with real-world examples and real-world encounters.
Check out the video where I explain some of the parameters of the Civic Engagement project and tricks in carrying it out.
Enjoy!
David Wolfford teaches Advanced Placement® U.S. Government and Politics at Mariemont High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has served as an AP® Reader. He has a B.A. in Secondary Education and an M.A. in Constitutional and Legal History, both from the University of Kentucky. He has conducted historical research projects on school desegregation and American political history. David has published in historical journals, such as Ohio Valley History and Kentucky Humanities. He has written on government, politics, and campaigns for national magazines and Cincinnati newspapers. He is a James Madison Fellow, a National Board-certified teacher, and a regular contributor to Social Education. David is editor of By George: Articles from the Ashland Daily Independent (Jesse Stuart Foundation) and editor of Ohio Social Studies Review.
