When snow and ice limits class time, I have to get creative. The bureaucracy is normally two to three class periods, at least. This year I decided to make this unit something that is a bit more portable. So, I created a bureaucracy activity that can be done in the classroom or at home. Here is how we do it in two parts. Part One: Cookie ActivityI buy myself some THIN MINTS from my daughter's troop and get ready to cut. them. up. The purpose of this activity is to show students the differences between the private sector and public sector. Before we start, the classroom is divided in half. One half is the private sector, and the other is the public sector. Public sector kids get an index card. If I have a class of 30, and 15 are public, then: 6 get a #1; 5 get a #3; 3 get a #5; and 1 get a #7. I give each kid a box of paperclips. They all have they same goal; to make as long a paper clip chain as possible. They have one and a half minutes. I am chopping up the cookies in front of them while they are doing the assembly. Upon completion, I then have the kids stand up and arrange themselves in their public/private sectors from longest chain to shortest chain. Starting with private, we talk about how we compensate for performance. I start with the concept that the kids need a "livable wage," and those who make a chain that is shorter than 15 clips get exactly 1/4 a cookie. Chains 16 to 23 in length get 1/2. The top three get the most compensation... longest gets three; second place gets two; third place gets one. I ask them why we do this, and they all know it is because we are trying to promote efficiency and maximizing profits. Therefore, those most skilled get the most compensation. Then we turn to the public sector. They are asked to bring their chains and cards. At this point, I tell them to put their chains down. Because they sorted themselves by length of their chain, they are expecting to get the same compensation. But no... I tell them we don't have the same goals in the public sector. We are not promoting efficiency and production goals; we have political goals. Compensation is limited by legislative and executive definitions, and work product is not necessarily the most important measure of an employee (think DMV; there's no bonus for having the fastest line). So, we start with those who are #1. These folks, who often have a high school diploma, make 1/2 a cookie. Folks with a #3, with some college course work, get 3/4s a cookie. Those with a #5, with a Bachelor's, get one cookie. The lucky #7 (advanced degree) gets a cookie and a half. Not only does this emphasize the political goal, but also emphasizes the fact that those who are less qualified tend to be compensated better in the public sector than in the private sector, but those at the top receive far less in compensation. We review any questions, and then... Bureaucracy carnival.I split the class into four stations. The stations have posters that are meant to be reviewed in conjunction with a 15 minute you-tube presentation about bureaucracy. The kids listen, view, and read up on four different aspects of the bureaucracy. There is a worksheet that I collect as an exit ticket.
Now, I must warn you. I have never made a video before. I also have not edited them yet. (Time is not on my side.) So, I will share these videos, and you can laugh at my unedited gaffs. They are there. Oh well. Perfection is something I am working towards. Video 1: Working in a Federal Bureaucracy Video 2: Bureaucracy: The Fourth Branch? Video 3: Federal Bureaucracy Organization Video 4: Rise of the Bureaucratic State
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Jen's bookshelf: nerdcation
I want to start by thanking Mr. Snowden and Mr. Greenwald for their uncompromising dedication to giving the NSA violations air time and transparency.
I wanted to share some of the most important things I have learned from this book bef...
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nerdcation
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nerdcation and to-read
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nerdcation and to-read
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nerdcation and to-read
AuthorI lovgov. LOVE IT! I love teaching government, learning about it, debating, discussing, asking questions about government. And not the standard boiler plate questions, but the hard ones that are NOT in the books. Archives
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