And also well worth the watch, John Hunter's talk about the game, teaching, hope and potential.

And we learned with this that you never really want to cross a 9 year old girl with tanks. They are the toughest opponent.

That is massive, Musky! Thank you. I'm wondering whether it's something our church could find a way of offering to young people.

Thank you for posting such  fascinating information.  I hadn't intended to spend that much time in front of my puter today - but once this started playing I HAD to hear more.  If only WE could play this game , if only our kids could play and our grandkids - then what a difference we might see in the world and the people who live on it,

It was a pleasure MikeP.  And Kaythecurler, I know I didn't expect to be so mesmerized by John Hunter but... no wonder his students thrive.

Those interested can get more information from the

World Peace Game Foundation

You have to love these Core Principles...

****************************

“Not a permanent system, but rather a temporary, internalized, flexible and renewable practice.” – John Hunter

•Contradictory elements can and should co-exist
•Deliberate creation of an overwhelming sense of diverse complexity or fostering, in other words…chaos
•Encouragement of complex problem solving in a collaborative situation
•Stimulate the development of empathy and compassion
•Promote the ability to hold and maintain multiple perspectives simultaneously, around an issue while withholding judgment
•Slowing down the problem solving process, provides:
◦Depth over time – Stimulation of and support for long term thinking
◦Increase in possible solutions
◦Richness (complexity)

•Promote critical thinking via:
◦Apprehending the natural inherent complexity and simplicity mixture
◦Directly engaging with complexity vs. avoiding or parsing
◦Promoting non-attachment to phenomena as useful tool

•Reveal personal inherent skills
•Team-based solutions formed by deliberate pressures (i.e. deadlines), and a sense of urgency
•The ability to cultivate and maintain acute problem solving skills over time
•Facilitate Self-Reflective awareness through Self-Evident Assessment (SEA) (internalized evaluation)
•Creation of a reflective thinking log to follow personal exploration of the process of mind habits
•Show, understand, and appreciate the value of non-measurable outcomes.
•Extrapolation of actions/reactions in multiple directions/levels at once
•No experts
•Luxury to fail
•Flexibility
•Elaboration

*********************************

Everyone can learn from those, children and adults alike.

AWESOME GAME.

i wonder if you can just make one up....

Hi Sighsnootles, the founder John Hunter actually promotes that and since the core principle is self discovery it makes sense.

The whole concept is based on creative and critical thinking.  These are the building blocks for innovation.  Foster those in the young and the world will continue to progress, discourage them and the world stagnates.

An idea is salvation by imagination.

      Frank Lloyd Wright

Great ideas and great teaching on the part of John Hunter.   I would love to see this game developed and promoted in the schools across the country.

I would also like to see these videos shown to people entering the teaching profession, and let them see real learning going on in the classroom, amid the noise and confusion,  rather than the kids sitting in rows absorbing whatever knowledge the teacher or the books in front of them have to offer.  

This is truly interactive learning.   

I can already hear the objections - "But he was teaching gifted kids."   "What about order?"   "What about discipline?" 

First of all thankyou LB for bring this video to our attention.

When I finished watching this video I found myself wondering what role God could possilby have played in this game and then it came to me. Here was John Hunter, the benevelent God,the overseer of his creation, the one that rang the bell and asked the question. "what are the results of your endevours to live peacefully together?", and I knew then and there that what he had created was meant to enrich his students lives and not to destroy each other.

He had given his students all the tools to co create a world they chose to exist in and the ability to function as a whole or to function apart from one another. He admitted it took great strength not to interfere in the choices his students were making, while still functioning within the confines "his" world he had created. Suddenly, I could literally see God shaking his head and smiling down on us at the same time, holding his breath that we would "see" our way out of any dilemma we might bring upon ourselves and learn compassion.

Waterfall -

I believe all children are gifted - I suspect John Hunter would agree.

I would counter that order and discipline can only be achieved through guidance because order is impermanent ... something, anything, comes along and changes the dynamics.  In order to have order one must be able to recognize that change and adapt or the result is chaos.

The gift of children is their innate adaptability.  What appears to be chaotic thinking, sudden shifts between happy sad, likes and dislikes, is really their adapting to their changing environment both internal and external.  How the grown ups encourage that adaptive skill will shape the adult to come and define what is a gift or a burden.

If we, as in the grown ups, squash that natural ability to adapt by enforcing conformity we doom those children's chances of surviving in an ever changing world.

Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.

     John Adams, Defense of the Constitutions, 1787

Years ago when I was in Teachers College we were taught that there are three methods (with modifications) of maintaining order in a classroom.

1.   Strict discipline - the teacher sets the rules, the class obeys

2.   Guidance - the teacher and students work together to decide on the rules and the teacher gives guidance

3.   Anything goes - rules are very loose or non-existant - kids do as they please with little or no interference from the teacher.

We were also told that with #1 the classroom will be quiet and well-ordered.  the kids will follow the rules and learn what they are taught.  But they won't learn to 'think outside the box' and discipline breaks down when the teacher is absent   (when he is called from the room for 15 or 20 minutes, or when a supply teacher comes in).    With #3 it is chaos.  Little learning takes place,  The kids are bored or disruptive.  The teacher is frustrated.   If the teacher leaves the room all hell breaks out.     But with #2 the teacher and kids work together to achieve mutually agreed upon goals.  If the teacher leaves the room the kids continue to work together for a reasonable length of time.  

Unfortunately many of the class didn't seem to grasp this lesson.   Many teachers, principals, administrators, and parents expect the strict discipline of #1.  Thank goodness for teachers like John Hunter who step out of the mold.

Amen Seeler.

I think the other thing the #2 principle teaches is mutual respect and trust.  The teacher sends the children the message that they trust those children, they believe in the child's abilities and trust builds respect.  The children emboldened by their teacher's confidence in them become more confident in themselves.  It is a circle that expands out wards.

I am seeing a trend toward constricting the circle inward at least in the corporate and political environments.  There is an ever increasing demand for conformity that ignores the unique dynamics of situations, individuals and communities.  I believe this is dangerous because it restricts the ability to adapt and will result in failure.

I understand the motivation behind this trend:  It is fear.  When everything appears to be out of control people tend to become restrictive and controlling.  They want that "quiet" classroom and frankly don't care about the chaos that reigns when they leave the room.

The only thing we have to fear is fear it'self - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

     Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933