Complex Problem:
framed as an essential question
WHY DO WE HAVE WAR?
model: database
Elements of War
Database created using Microsoft Access
I'm not really any closer to answering the essential question, which I'm sure is the point of using a database as a mindtool and model. I'm sure it has more to do with being a novice at using Access, which I have not found too helpful when running queries. The process of gathering information and organizing it into a table provided some insight as to why we have war. It's not really anything different than what I would have guessed at before doing this though. Learning about the cost in terms of financial and human life basically made me even more repulsed. The basic pattern in the wars depicted in this table show that, as you might guess, war is extremely costly across the board. I guess I was wondering if we were better off before or after each war and that is a query I couldn't run. Maybe it's possible, but I couldn't figure out how to do it no matter how many tutorials I listened to. I could figure out the basic queries without running them, like which war was longest, shortest, bloodiest, highest or lowest cost in dollars. It's obvious that as technology advanced so did the price, but interestingly the number of casualties decreased, but that ultimately depended on where the war was fought and how many troops were deployed. I could have added a field for civilian deaths and noncombat or disease-related deaths, since there was a great deal of information on this and it was a huge factor during the 18th century wars. I would have also like to ask which war was the most widespread, but again, this was not an option, or at least I couldn't figure it out. Based on the countries involved and it's name I can tell that it's WWII without running a query. I ended up creating several tables and databases and queries. The screenshot above is the final version.
I have included screenshots of two queries to help explain why I didn't think they were all that enlightening. The first is one where I compared location and government which demonstrates what types of governments often engage in war.
The second shows the connection between outcome and cost. Was winning/losing worth it? That's hard to say and depends on how winning and losing are defined. Personally I think everyone loses in a war. The question is obviously more complex than that, but this would get students to discuss how or if the gains outway the costs.
While the queries did not help to inform me to a great extent during this exercise, I do think generating a database helped me to understand why we would want students to engage in a similar experience. I know a hell of a lot more about the details of certain wars, much of which isn't even included in the database, than I did prior to doing this and I enjoyed reading and learning about all the history involved. For example, I didn't even know there was a Haitian revolt in 1791. I think students would be extremely engaged and feel a sense of ownership when creating a model. This is a great deal more interesting than reading a table in a text and worth the extra time and effort it takes to make. Generating a learning tool/complex model such as a database deepens understanding. Like Jonassen states, "Building such models is hard work. Because learners own the models they construct, they are more willing to engage in that hard work." It doesn't necessarily provide a straight-forward simple answer (such is the nature of essential questions), but definitely helps to organize thoughts about a specific topic. I think if students were tasked with this they would have learned more because they don't necessarily know as much about history and wars.
sources:
- War defined
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War - War on Terror articles
http://www.globalissues.org/article/358/war-on-terror-articles - Department of Veterans Affairs - American Wars
http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/amwars.asp - PBS - Psychology of war
http://www.pbs.org/perilousfight/psychology/ - WW I
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I - WWII
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II - American Revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution - French Revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution - Haitian Revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Revolution - Korean War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War - Vietnam War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War - American Civil War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War - Financial cost of WWI
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWcosts.htm - NPR interview - Cost of War in Iraq
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5151090
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