May Madness: A Classroom Competition Merges Historical Research With Public Debate

This article reflects on a theory put forth by Isaac Hunt III that was published in Social Education in 2006. It describes a classroom competition, modeled after NCAA college basketball tournaments, where the goal is to rate the historical significance of people from the twentieth century based on argumentation and debate. The tournament stemmed from the need for this teacher, Isaac Hunt, to spend time with his AP history major after they take the May AP exams; after the exams, there was nothing else for the students to work on during the last month of class.

As stated above, May Madness is based on the NCAA basketball tournament, where the master brackets 64 historical figures and gives them seeds based on their perception of their level of importance. The teacher assigns two figures to each student and is given one week to decide on two people of his choice. When all contestants are chosen, there is a week of study/research time in which students develop arguments for their figures based on primary and secondary source material. This is the main goal of the competition, to force students to thoroughly research their figures and develop compelling arguments based on source material.

Judging the competition is a panel of judges, whose numbers are not specified, but the author mentions that the number is odd, to avoid ties in votes. Judges are recruited by the teacher outside of the classroom, providing an authentic audience and encouraging students to do more research. Past pageant judges have included the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt’s goddaughter, a DC Superior Court judge, a nationally syndicated journalist, and members of the DC Board of Education. Judges score students based on font choices and usage, strength of argument, and presentation, among others.

The day before the competition begins, the teacher and a colleague discuss figures of their own choosing, to provide an example of what is expected and how the process will be carried out. Students are the judges, giving them increased knowledge and practice with the rubric that will be used to measure their performance.

The competition format is as follows: first there is a four-minute introduction by both contestants in which the student sets out the basic arguments; the next is a two-minute cross-examination by the opponent; then there are two-minute closing statements; finally, the judges have ten minutes (total) to ask both students questions about their historical figures. When all of this is complete, the students leave the room while the judges tally up the scores. Before the students hear the results, the teacher critiques their performances and offers advice for future rounds. After the judges offer their opinions, the winner is announced. This process is repeated until there is a final champion.

For my part, I love this competition. I think it’s a fantastic way to introduce students to in-depth primary research, which I’ve found in my college experience to be missing from most first-year college students. I think the tournament format is key to keeping students excited about the project; Giving students a familiar system of competition relative to their interests is ingenious. I was also quite impressed with the list of judges that the professor was able to put together. Additionally, giving students the opportunity to judge and become familiar with the competition and the rubric is a great way to ensure that students understand the expectations and goals of the project. One technique, as we have learned in this class, is very effective in increasing student achievement.

The two best aspects of May Madness are that it keeps kids focused on school and provides legitimate learning opportunities at the end of the year, a time when students are often lethargic, and that it accommodates content areas outside the scope of the social sciences. Furthermore, the author explains that this competition is currently being approached as a possible interscholastic tournament within the local school system. I can definitely see myself doing something like this in my classroom. I know from my own experience that students love it when the teacher keeps things fresh, and May Madness is as fresh as it gets.