Re: Citizenship in the World Merit Badge
Robert Losee (rlosee@UNLINFO.UNL.EDU)
Tue, 12 Jan 1999 14:09:13 -0600
> I'm looking to pick a few brains out there. I will be teaching a class on
> Citizenship in the World on Saturday (Jan 9). I'm looking for any good
> ideas any of you might have on this one. What are some of the resources you
I've been asked to do this for several years now. My methods are a little
unorthodox but it's been working for me.
A couple weeks before the classes start (we generally do Trail to Eagle required
MBs on Saturday mornings in February) I get the boys together and tell them I
teach it differently than they're likely to experience any where. I can't add to
or subtract from the requirements, I can only evaluate if they know them.
Consequently I require they write a paper answering each of the questions
verbatim (except for the exchange question). They can do it on their own or with
friends, I really don't care as the paper is mostly to help them. Where they
really pass is when they bring their paper in and I interview them to see if
they *understand* the principals. Demonstrating understanding in the interview
passes the MB requirements.
So here's the odd part, I tell them I don't *teach* the merit badge. I'm just
there to answer their questions to whatever depth they want. If they want to
talk about other things that's fine with me. (They can't however leave the room
to do other stuff.)
The results have been interesting. The first time some decided they wanted to
know more about the production of nuclear weapons rather than MB stuff so we
talked about that and it didn't help them pass the interview. By the second year
many of the boys (some back from the first year) where trying to organize the
questions in class. In other words they were taking control of the learning
process. The last time they organized themselves and they even all decided to
come over to my house after the MB time to eat lunch and finish it in one
afternoon. I worked on my computer while this ad hoc "patrol" was at another
computer typing the paper up, occasionally asking me a question, and coming back
for the interview. They did it all in a couple hours and have been telling all
the other scouts to "Just do it, you can do it in an afternoon if you try. Just
ask him all the questions and write them down."
The interview process involves the scout(s) sitting down with me, I read their
paper and ask them questions about different parts of it. If the paper reads
well and they can quickly answer 3-4 questions well I figure they know it all
and sign off. More interesting to me is that this is frequently not the case.
For instance the last time two fairly intelligent scouts had done a paper
together and sat down with me. I found a question about national interest
answered very oddly, so I asked "What is national interest?"
"Ah, ... isn't that the amount of money a country makes on it's money."
Hummm, missed the whole point of this merit badge. So we talked for twenty
minutes on national interest and other areas. I sent them back with their paper
and didn't pass them for a couple weeks. Imagine this I allowed them to "cheat"
by doing the paper together and they still didn't do it right. Hummmph.
My only major caution on this MB is that they get into some pretty technical
stuff, but I remind myself this is not a training course for the State Dept.. So
if the boys don't understand every nuance of a term I don't care so long as they
understand why these issues are important.
Generally I like this method as the boys can't just sit their in the expectation
mere presence of their body qualifies them for the MB. My method has required
them to think in new ways about how they can quickly and effectively get through
this badge. Since they are engaged in this process of learning I hope it
improves their memory of it.
YiS, Bob Losee, SM T25 Lincoln NE
