What does Model UN teach students about the actual UN?
KFC spoke on a panel at McGill SSUNS last week and several Canadian advisors asked him about how to teach the UN’s successes. They always hear about the UN’s failures in the media and they wanted to provide their students with a different perspective.
I actually went through the experience of teaching the UN’s successes and failures several weeks ago with my own students in Orange County. In honor of UN Day, I asked them:
“What has Model UN taught you about the actual UN? In your opinion, what have been the UN’s greatest successes and failures? Do you think the UN matters?”
We had a Socratic discussion, taking turns presenting our opinions and questioning one another. Most of my students believed that the UN is good in principle but bad in practice; they appreciated the UN’s idealism but did not think it made a difference. I then examined their assumptions about the UN, challenging their criticisms with examples of UN achievements, and also questioning whether the UN is as idealistic as they think; I pointed out that the UN is designed to serve the interests of its member states.
I realize now that my students’ beliefs about the UN reflect what the Canadian advisors pointed out to KFC. Drawing from my recent teaching experiences, I’d like to share 3 resources that I believe teachers would find helpful for teaching students about the successes and failures of the United Nations.
Click to continue…
If you're going to do Model UN, you should read the document that defines the real UN!
This article is part of the “How to Teach Model UN” series for students and teachers who are new to Model UN. Check out previous articles on Committee Research, Country Research, and Current Events.
In honor of UN Day, I spent this week discussing with my students what their experience in Model UN has taught them about the real UN. We discussed the UN’s achievements, especially in development and decolonization, as well as its shortcomings, particularly in peace and security. We also took the opportunity to read the document that defines the organization – the Charter of the United Nations.
Click to continue…
Don't neglect your committee research; speeches and solutions only make sense in the context of your committee.
Learning about the UN might be intimidating to students and teachers who are new to Model UN. I know it was for me when I first started as a high school freshman. The UN is a sprawling organization; its website is a labyrinth of information; and learning all those acronyms is like learning a foreign language.
But as part of your research and preparation for Model UN conferences, you have to learn something about the UN, particularly your MUN committee. As a student, how do you get started? As a teacher, how do you help your students, especially if you haven’t studied the UN yourself?
Click to continue…
This is my second post on “How to Teach Model United Nations.” Every week, I will share teaching tips, lesson plans, and classroom activities on various Model UN topics and skills.
This series is geared towards US-based high school and middle school teachers who are new to Model UN, interested in starting a club at their school, or looking for ideas on how to use Model UN in the classroom.
Which country will you represent at your next Model UN conference?
When you and your students register for a Model UN conference, one of the first pieces of information you’ll receive from the conference organizers is your country assignment, e.g. what country (or countries) your students will represent at the conference.
This information also tells you what committees you’re in and what topics you’ll debate. Once you know your country, your students can start preparing for the conference. And students who are representing the same country (most likely all of your students if you’re leading a small club) can work together and pool their research efforts.
There are various reasons for learning how to research a country:
- As representatives of their assigned country, your students should know something about their country! Especially the most basic facts: where it is, who the leaders are, how many people live there, etc. You lose credibility in committee if someone asks you these basic questions and you just don’t know.
- Many Model UN conferences require students to submit a position paper before the conference. In this paper, students will describe their country’s policies and proposed solutions regarding the topics they will debate at the conference. The first step to writing this paper is researching your country.
- One of the reasons to participate in Model UN is to learn about the world. Country research is an opportunity for your students to gain perspective on what it’s like in other parts of the world.
- Research is a skill that students will use throughout grade school and university, as well as their careers.
So if you’re a teacher or parent who’s new to Model UN, how do you teach your student how to research a country? Read on!
Click to continue…
