John Hunter puts all the problems of the world on a 4’x5′ plywood board and lets his 4th-graders solve them. He explains how his World Peace Game engages school kids, and why the complex lessons it teaches are spontaneous, and always surprising go further than classroom lectures can.
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ABOUT John Hunter
“Musician, teacher, filmmaker and game designer, John Hunter has dedicated his life to helping children realise their full potential. His own life story is one of a never-ending quest for harmony.
As a student, he studied comparative religions and philosophy while traveling through Japan, China and India. In India, inspired by Ghandi’s philosophy, he began to think about the role of the schoolteacher in creating a more peaceful world.
As his online biography says: “Accepting the reality of violence, he would seek to incorporate ways to explore harmony in various situations. This exploration would take form in the framework of a game something that students would enjoy. Within the game data space, they would be challenged, while enhancing collaborative and communication skills.”
In 1978, at the Richmond Community High School, Hunter led the first sessions of his World Peace Game, a hands-on political simulation. The game has now been played around the world, on a four-tiered board. It’s the subject of the new film World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements.”
The VIDEO
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