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A Virtual Meeting of the Minds

Upper School history teacher Andrew Bigelow annually leads his juniors in studying the foundation of America’s industrialization and its consequences, from the Gilded Age through Progressivism and the “Roaring” Twenties. He and his students constantly evaluate the ever-changing role of the state and federal government in response to an economic boom or bust, industrialization, population growth, urbanization and the shifting demands of the rural sector.
 
To help his students better understand what it meant to be a capitalist, President, rebel, reformer or progressive during the early 1900s, he assigned each of them a historical figure from this time to research and analyze so they could identify specific goals and obstacles based on their individual’s viewpoints and experiences.
 
After students independently researched the unique vantage points of their historical figures during this period in history, Bigelow organized a debate, known as a “Meeting of the Minds,” to share all they had recently learned.
 
With the current distance learning format potentially compromising his curriculum, Bigelow instead orchestrated his first-ever virtual Meeting of the Minds debate, which involved students—some dressed in character—using Google Meet technology to accomplish the same goal.
 
This year’s Meeting of the Minds included Jane Addams, Andrew Carnegie, Eugene Debs, Florence Kelley, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Teddy Roosevelt and Upton Sinclair, all reporting to the debate on screen from the comfort of their homes.
 
Bigelow, in his role as moderator, oversaw the experience. Students first shared physical placards they created to illustrate each character’s position on the issues. Next, each formally introduced themselves and their general and specific beliefs on the evolving industrializing American identity. Bigelow then posed a series of questions, to which students responded through the lens of their assigned characters.
 
Throughout the debate, Bigelow encouraged students to use silent hand gestures to respond to other speakers and use of the chat feature on Google Meet for more creative and specific comments of support or criticism of each historical figure’s response to the questions posed.
 
While it was a tad surreal to witness students assuming the personas and mindsets of Addams, Debs, Carnegie and more on a computer screen, each student’s depth of thought for this assignment was proof positive that this curriculum is working. Reflecting upon the success of his first-ever virtual Meeting of the Minds, Bigelow shared, “I was surprised at how smoothly it went. My kids clearly had done their research and they were on it! I was impressed by the heckling and banter in the chat that flowed while kids were advocating for their perspective of America's economy. I was impressed at how well they understood capitalism vs. socialism. The entire experience I shared with three sections of juniors was heartwarming. It made me miss seeing their smiling faces even more.”

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Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.