Lehman Marks
Humanities (Government)
Government Class project-based learning which directly involves students in real life problems
Featured Teaching and Learning Practice
Fall 2007
Lehman Marks is aware that almost all of the students taking his government classes are required to do so because of curriculum requirements, not necessarily because they want to. Many of his students dread the experience and are struggling to balance academics, work, and family life. Lehman feels that his task is to bring government to life so that students can understand the concepts and start developing an appreciation for government.
Lehman has developed dozens of projects that allow students to be directly involved in what's happening in government. These projects engage students in the political environment in Austin and Washington including elections, Supreme Court rulings, and more.
Each project lasts a whole semester. Students randomly select their role in the project and those with similar roles are divided into groups. The groups work both in and outside of class to fulfill their role. This process encourages students to learn the basic concept of government and to develop teamwork skills to solve a problem. The students do peer evaluations on these group projects based up the accuracy and creativity. For example, one of Lehman's course projects was a mock election of a Texas Governor. The students simulated the whole election process, from campaigning, debating, news reporting, and voting.
This project, along with others, gave students more of an idea of the actual political processes and helped them to develop a desire to know more about the world around them. One student said, "For the first time in my life, I feel like I can get my mind around [the subject of] government ... and I'm better for that."