A high school teacher uses Humankind and Civilization to teach history
Ryan Botting, a high school teacher in Maine, has integrated Humankind and Civilization into his class.
I’m sure many of you who’ve played historical 4X strategy games like Humankind and Civilization have thought “man, I wish my history teacher taught using this!” For some students at a high school in Maine, that’s exactly what’s happening. Ryan Botting, a high school history teacher, has added Humankind and Civilization as part of his class curriculum — and the students get to play the game throughout the semester.
Botting has been sharing insights on his teaching process on social media, earning him a reputation and following on TikTok especially. Even the game’s developers have taken notice.
This is far from the first time a teacher has used video games in the classroom; teaching through games is still a niche idea but is slowly gaining popularity. If Botting’s class is anything to go by, the impact it has on student learning is astounding.
How a teacher uses Humankind and Civilization to teach history
Humankind and Civilization are only a part of Botting’s curriculum, as the history teacher uses it as a teaching aid. That makes a lot of sense, seeing as how while these games are based on world history, they don’t necessarily teach about specific moments in history. Botting also offers students the choice of a traditional history course to ensure that they have flexible options.
For students who play the game, Botting sets objectives for the students to achieve tailored to the civilizations they select. Once a student achieves their objective, the class discusses it as a case study correlated with actual historical events.
Over on TikTok, Botting responds to comments asking about how he’s integrated the games into the class. See an example of that here, courtesy of Ryan Botting on TikTok:
The impact: teaching through video games
According to Botting, the kids who take his class might come in just to get an easy grade, but end up gaining a passion for what they do through the games. He explains the results below in an interview with PCGamesN:
“What I’ve found is that this class attracts high-risk kids. The class generally attracts kids that hate school and are looking for an easy grade, but what I find is these kids work harder and care more than their traditional-learning counterparts. Their test scores end up being pretty similar to high-achieving students taking the traditional class, even though they take the same tests.”
Ryan Botting, High School History Teacher
Botting’s efforts aren’t just working on a local level: he’s gained the attention of the game’s developers as well. Civilization developer Firaxis and Humankind developer Amplitude have contacted him about how he uses the games for teaching; the two companies even gave him free codes of Civilization VI and Humankind for use in the class.
What do you think of Ryan Botting’s goal and accomplishments? Do you wish your history teacher used Humankind or Civilization in their class? Let us know!
Via PCGamesN.
