*Dear Queens College Educators, The Center for Teaching and Learning, Dr. Helen Gaudette, and Queens College members of the Reacting to the Past community cordially invite you to attend a unique workshop on pedagogy. Workshop Facilitator: Helen Gaudette Director, Offices of Global Education Initiatives Lecturer, Department of History When: Thursday, May 3rd, 3 pm to 5:30 pm Where: Presidents Conference Room 2, Rosenthal Library Preparation: Approximately four pages of reading is required prior to the workshop Food will be provided please RSVP, BY FRIDAY, APRIL 27th, with food preferences by clicking on the following: http://tinyurl.com/reactingtothepast What: * *Reacting to the Past consists of elaborate games, set in the past, in which students are assigned roles informed by classic texts in the history of ideas. Class sessions are run entirely by students; instructors advise and guide students and grade their oral and written work. This pedagogy seeks to draw students into the past, promote engagement with big ideas, and improve intellectual and academic skills. In “Reacting to the Past” courses, students learn by taking on roles, informed by classic texts, in elaborate games set in the past; they learn skills—speaking, writing, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, and teamwork—in order to prevail in difficult and complicated situations. While students will be obliged to adhere to the philosophical and intellectual beliefs of the historical figures they have been assigned to play, they must devise their own means of expressing those ideas persuasively, in papers, speeches or other public presentations; and students must also pursue a course of action they think will help them win the game. This workshop offers you the opportunity to learn about Reacting to the Past by playing part of a game, <i>The Threshold of Democracy: Athens in 403 BC</i>, to experience a student’s perspective. After the hands-on portion, the group will debrief on its experiences and talk about how to incorporate the Reacting to the Past approach into individual teaching practice. Read more about Reacting to the Past: http://reacting.barnard.edu/ Please direct questions to Rob Garfield (james.garfield@qc.cuny.edu).* Rob Garfield Instructional Technologist Queens College Center for Teaching and Learning 319 Razran Hall james dot garfield at qc dot cuny dot edu