A non-profit organization called Game Loft created a program called “Coming of Age in America” where students at Mountview High School get together after school with the founders of the organization and learn about American history through role playing.

The method is called experiential learning, and every week, students like sophomore Bradley Arsenault meet to act out historical events. Each student is assigned their own character, and they become that character for the entire semester. They wear costumes, and act out scenes that could have taken place in the era they are learning about. The program is treated like a scheduled class in that students receive elective credits towards graduation.

Game Loft’s mission is to “promote positive youth development through games and community involvement.” When students and young adults attend classes like the one at Mountview, or they meet at the Game Loft location after school, they are asked to put their cell phones away in order to emphasize communication and collaboration with other youths.

Co-founder and co-director Patricia Estabrook said that the program has been around for about three years, and that it started with the earliest explorations of Maine; then they went into the American revolution; this year students are learning about the American civil war; and next year then lesson will split – students will learn about the 1880s and the 1960s.”

According to Mountview principal Zachary Freeman, students learn more effectively through hands on experiences rather than simply reading a book or attending a lecture.

Arsenault is very happy with the program and says that if neither the program nor Game Loft existed, he would be sitting home, plugged into his phone “essentially doing nothing of any potential value.”

Co-founder and co-director Ray Estabrook said that the students have their final exam on April 29 during a benefit dinner where the students will be waiting on guests, featuring a historical menu, pre-Civil War politics, theater and performances relevant to that time. For more information on that event go to www.thegameloft.org.

plucked from: http://www.wlbz2.com/news/education/non-profit-organization-provides-alternative-method-to-teaching-students-about-american-history/434290184