Letter

Mr. Hunter,

I was only able to catch the end of a program where you were guiding children through this game. As a citizen of the United States, and especially as a US Army Soldier from 2005 to 2013, I wanted to thank you for having the strength and courage to educate children on the reality of the world. Specifically, I am thankful that you have your students read letters to the family of those who were lost in battle. This is something I feel the leaders of the world have too much of a disconnect to. I actually caught myself tearing up as she read the letter on the program, because of how many of my brothers had given that sacrifice. Thank You.

I hope these children learn from you and help our future generations to solve these problems. You are a real inspiration.

Sincerely,
Matthew L.

'World Peace Game' Teaches Kids Cooperation, Compassion

Think back to fourth grade. What were you doing in school? Were you practicing fractions? Learning photosynthesis? Maybe you were studying the British colonization of the New World?

Well, if we fast-forward to now, a modern-day fourth grader named Sarah Schmidt has been up to something a little bit different.

“We made the treaty last week about buying the land,” she explains. “And once we bought the land we bought 20,000 troops before that, with our solar-power plants, our two submarines and our oxygen-production plant. So now we’re scattering them and making sure that areas are covered for military strike.”

Sarah Schmidt, you see, isn’t just a fourth grader at Agnor-Hurt Elementary School in Charlottesville, Va. Sarah Schmidt is an officer in the United Nations.

A Q&A with visionary educator John Hunter, creator of the World Peace Game.

John Hunter is the kind of teacher I’ve always wanted to be—wise and compassionate, with a deep understanding of the complexity of human nature. When I read his new book, World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements, which was based on his 2011 TED talk, what struck me the most was his ability to guide 9 and 10 year olds through world crises that would challenge even the most experienced policymakers.

The Game That Builds a Peaceful Habit of Mind

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, an ancient Chinese text on military strategy, has been popularized in recent years as a playbook for Wall Street traders and NFL coaches.

The teacher John Hunter, on the other hand, uses Sun Tzu's treatise to help students understand the connectedness of the global community and develop habits of mind that include collaboration and peaceful conflict resolution. Hunter has developed a geopolitical simulation he calls The World Peace Game, and which he describes in his new book, World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements.

The title is obviously completely counter-intuitive. Are fourth-graders really capable of complex problem solving? In the video below, Hunter tells Big Think that "they seem to be able to do so much more than we give them credit for or even imagine they can."

Wednesday Interview: World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements with John Hunter

Previous guest John Hunter joins me Wednesday, May 8th, for a live and interactive FutureofEducation.com conversation now that his book is out: World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements.

EdGamer 98: John Hunter and His Book on World Peace

He’s back and he’s bringing us World Peace…the board game and the book! EdGamer 98 features the return of one of our favorites guests, John Hunter. Listen in as we discuss John’s new book, World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements, and attempt to solve the world’s problems in a half hour. It’s another can’t miss episode of EdGamer. Tune-in and level-up!

John Hunter: Building Civilization One Child at a Time

Inspired Teaching’s Executive Director, Aleta Margolis, recently spoke with veteran educator John Hunter, author of “World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements.” Today’s blog post captures Aleta and John’s conversation in a Q & A.

Hoping to Achieve World Peace? First, Consult These 9-Year-Olds

By Jenny Inglee

In the center of John Hunter's legendary classroom sits a towering structure filled with soldiers, spy planes, cities, submarines, and oil wells. Carefully placed, each figurine is part of a world Hunter has been developing for the last 35 years.