Real
Lives (4.4 out of 5 stars)
Every
middle and high school should have this fascinating program. It's
a life simulation that enables students to live one of billions
of lives in any country in the world. With each passing year of
their "life", students gain real-world practice in reasoning,
problem-solving, critical thinking, and personal responsibility.
The
simulation begins with the birth of an individual in a particular
country. Through text boxes, students learn background information
about their country and about the family they¹ve been born
into. As they grow up, they must make more and more decisions
that will affect the course of events. Decisions involve school,
studying, getting a job, leisure activities, romantic relationships,
health, and many other serious issues.
For
instance, when we tested the program, we were born a male in rural
China and had to deal with learning difficulties, finding a job
that could support our spending habits, deciding whether or not
to stand up against human rights violations, and so on. We also
dealt with the early death of our mother and a bout with alcoholism.
We found work as a farm laborer and later as a foreman. As we
progressed through the program, we read many text boxes full of
interesting information on China and the ways of life there. At
our next look at the program, we were born a female in a large
Brazilian family, and had to deal with significant health issues
and with sexual discrimination.
Each
country and family has its own set of issues to be faced. "Lives"
can be saved, and the teacher's edition comes with lesson plans.
There's no video or photos, but there are links to related resource
sites on the Internet. Despite the lack of multimedia, this is
a wonderful CD, compelling and very educational.
