‘History’ Madness – a New Version of March Madness

April 4, 2018

The most influential person in history may be Genghis Khan, Gandhi, or possibly even John Locke. This debate has taken place all throughout history between historians. Students in 10th grade in AP World History get a chance to vote and decide who the most influential person in history is.

Lizzy Wilfahrt defending Charles Dickens against Osama Bin Laden and John Calvin against Jesus Christ.

Mr. Bute, a history and psychology teacher at NUHS, created a mock March Madness bracket using 66 important people from history. Each student in the class was assigned 2-3 people to create arguments for who they feel is the most influential and then they square off against another student’s choices. The students listening must take notes on each person to help decide who the most influential person is. The class will then vote online using Schoology to decide who was the most influential of the two, with the winner moving onto the next round.

Most students in the APWH class have found this activity an enjoyable experience. Megan Kelley, representing Louis Armstrong and Hernando Cortes, believes there is nothing about this activity that should be changed. “I believe this is a very enjoyable experience. I get to learn about historical figures in an interesting way and I get to see my classmates out of their comfort zones,” Kelley commented. However, one common thing they would have changed is the fact that “people tended to vote for who they had on their brackets.”

A few students wished they could’ve chosen who they could’ve represented. Lizzy Wilfahrt was one of these few: “I wish I could’ve represented an artist, specifically Pablo Picasso.” Representing someone known for a subject one is interested in might help research be more interesting, but it’s also interesting to research someone one may know little to nothing about.

Logan Bendix defends Thomas Edison against Sir Francis Bacon and Gandhi

 

Mr. Bute will also provide a DQ blizzard for each of the following: the person with the most predictions right for the final 8, the final 4, and the grand winner. The students believe this prize helps motivate them to do good research and not slack – although many said they would still enjoy the experience even if there was no prize being handed out at the end.

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