Lessons: Mountain Moves game offers learning opportunities
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Anyone who remembers fondly their eighth grade West Virginia history education (particularly those adults who just thought to themselves "Yes! I'm a [knight or lady] of the Golden Horseshoe) will be thrilled to know there is a new educational option developed by the state.
"Mountain Moves" is a board game that "combines trivia, strategy and career exploration," according to Gov. Patrick Morrisey's office. It assigns players careers connected to the state tourism industry and then allows them to advance through the game by answering questions about West Virginia history and tourism.
History teachers across the state should be getting their own copies of the game soon.
"Tourism is about more than visiting beautiful places, it is about the people, businesses and communities that make those experiences possible," said Secretary of Tourism Kayla Kessinger. "Mountain Moves gives students an opportunity to learn about West Virginia while seeing themselves as part of the future of our tourism industry."
As part of the Tourism Works effort, the game sounds as though it will be a fun way for young people to learn more about pathways with great potential here, as those jobs that sustained families for generations (and likely feature prominently in the trivia questions) are disappearing.
Good for those in Charleston who are taking that forward-looking approach.
Provided the history being taught is a complete and accurate retelling of what got us where we are today, "Mountain Moves" should prove an important tool for teachers.
"Your job isn't just to learn what happened yesterday," Morrisey told Oak Hill Middle School students at the game's launch. "It is to think about what you can accomplish tomorrow."
THAT is an important lesson, for all of us.