DST Faculty Attend Reacting to the Past Training

Three members of the Department of Student Transitions participated in Reacting to the Past (RTTP) training on Tuesday, Janary 7, 2020. The full-day workshop provided faculty participants with the opportunity to learn about this pedagogical strategy for engaging students in the learning process. According to the Barnard College website that hosts information about RTTP, “Reacting to the Past is an active learning pedagogy of role-playing games designed for higher education. In Reacting to the Past games, students are assigned character roles with specific goals and must communicate, collaborate, and compete effectively to advance their objectives. Reacting promotes engagement with big ideas, and improves intellectual and academic skills.”

Dr. Amanda Martin, Dr. Ron Novy, and Dr. Amy Baldwin portrayed real-life characters from the 1991 Food Pyramid Congressional hearings. Dr. Martin played a cattle lobbyist while Drs. Novy and Baldwin were representatives of the US Department of Agriculture. Each participant received a role sheet and game book to guide them through the game. Although yesterday’s Congressional representatives voted to reject the Food Pyramid and to take away the charge of nutritional guidance from the USDA, Congress in 1991 voted to approve the Food Pyramid and keep the USDA in charge of nutritional guidelines. For more information about RTTP, visit Barnard College’s website.