Active Learning Consultants, Richard Bernato Ed.D.

Decision

Iraq, a Simulation of President George W. Bush's Decision to Invade Iraq

Active Learning Consultants offers a series of experiential publications that embrace our core belief; that none of us is as smart as all of us, unless we are smart together.

This reflects Confucius' saying that " I do, and I understand." Classroom simulations / experiential learning strategies like Cutthroat, Ups And Downs, International Cutthroat, Which Way USA? , and Decision - Iraq, a Simulation of President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq, are a growing collection of publications ALC offers schools. Below, find a sample of the all-inclusive Teachers' Guide to Decision - Iraq.

TEACHER’S GUIDE TO DECISION - IRAQ

OVERVIEW

This simulation will examine the forces and issues at play that led to President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. Students, playing the President, and his advisors, Vice President George Cheney, National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State and Colin Powell, will give the pros and cons of the complex issue to the President for his consideration. Other students will play reporters who will probe President Bush’s decision after he announces it.

This activity will structure the issue in an evenhanded manner so that students can dispassionately use inquiry skills to dissect the President’s decision. Use of this simulation will meet the following National Council of Social Studies Standards:

VI. Power, Authority, and Governance: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance.

IX. Global Concepts: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of global connections and interdependence.

X. Civic Ideals and Practices: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.

GOALS

Students will:

Identify the issues President George W. Bush had to consider in deciding to invade Iraq.

Recognize and evaluate the reasons for and the reasons against the decision to invade.

Project the outcome of any choice that the President had to weigh in his decision.

Analyze the values and feelings associated with the President’s decision.

Generate a model for decision-making.

Practice and master forecasting skills.

INITIAL PREPARATION

Review and read all of the materials carefully. Materials will include: this Teacher’s Guide, the Student Guide, and Handouts. The Teacher’s Guide will give you a step-by-step structure that you can follow for a successful simulation. The Student Guide will consist of a Background Information that will offer an overview of the United States’ involvement with Iraq, as well as of the interweaving issues of Mid East policy, Oil, and Terrorism. The Essay will lead readers to the “stage” where students playing President Bush, and other students, playing Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, and Vice President Richard Cheney, are prepared to examine the issues leading to the President’s final decision.

The Essay will also identify the choices President Bush may have considered before he made his decision:

Do not invade Iraq at this time. Instead concentrate American forces on finding Osama Bin Laden and defeating the Al Qaida.

Only invade Iraq with United Nations’ approval and with a coalition of international forces approved by the United Nations

Approve the invasion of Iraq without United Nations’ support in order to remove Weapons of Mass Destruction, Saddam Hussein and his ruthless government, and to destroy terrorist connections.

The Handouts will consist of

Role descriptions for the President and his advisors. These will consist of brief biographies and historically accurate summaries of these individuals’ roles in the President’s decision as well as general advice as to which choice to advocate.
In addition, the President’s handout will also give him / her general guidelines for questions to ask for advice and how to announce his decision.
The rest of the class will observe the role- play, and will have a handout giving them advice about the kinds of questions they may ask after the President has made his choice, as they play members of the national and international press.
The audience (the rest of the class) will also receive a rating sheet that evaluates the quality of the President’s choice.

4. Introduce the activity to your class with an Anticipatory Set of your own creation. You might consider asking, “Who knows what Monday Morning Quarterbacking is? Given what we know about the war in Iraq now, would that have influenced whether you understood and supported President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003?” A question such as this will spark analysis of motives, and of information, and of what values and priorities may have affected the president’s decision, indeed any important decision. After you are satisfied that students have drawn an overview of the difficulty of decisions you can transition to the simulation.

Teachers’ Guide will provide additional steps and advice leading to :

5. Open by announcing that this is an important day. Now that the events in the world have unfolded as they have President George W. Bush finds that he must make a decision about whether the United States should launch a war against Iraq. With him today are some of his most trusted advisors, Vice President Richard Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice. These individuals will help the president chose among three choices before him:

1) Do not invade Iraq at this time. Instead concentrate American forces on finding Osama Bin Laden and defeating the Al Qaida.

2) Only invade Iraq with United Nations’ approval and with a coalition of international forces approved by the United Nations.

3) Approve the invasion of Iraq without United Nations’ support in order to remove Weapons of Mass Destruction, Saddam Hussein and his ruthless government, and to destroy terrorist connections.

Teacher's Guide, Student Guide, Background Information, Presidential and Advisors' handouts, Debriefing materials, all included in packet.

Session for all of its learning components. Remember your goals were:

Identify the issues President George W. Bush had to consider in deciding to invade Iraq. – Ask questions to decide whether students can explain and identify the reasons Bush may have used to invade Iraq.

Recognize and evaluate the reasons for and the reasons against the decision to invade. – Ask questions that enable the class to rank the decision against the priorities the handout provides. Invite analysis.

Project the outcome of any choice that the President had to weigh in his decision. Use a futures wheel approach or if – then chart to attempt to identify the ripple effects of the decision. If the President picks the historically correct decision (number three), then have the class identify the results of the historic decision.

Analyze the values and feelings associated with the President’s decision. Ask the President to tell the class what was important to him / her in her decision.

Generate a model for decision-making. Ask the class what a decision “looks like”. See below. Explain this model. Use the Decision Model to consider this.

Practice and master forecasting skills. Use a Futures’ Wheels Chart to project the outcome of any decision.

This recreation’s process is as important as its content. The analysis of decisions, the importance of correct information, of “futuring” skills, and of recognition of the roles of values and feelings in any decision that the students will have mastered, can be used in any other aspect of your content area teaching.

For more information, contact us at richber1@optonline.net