Review by Jennifer Sitkin, Common Sense Education | Updated January 2015
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Parable of the Polygons

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Dynamic interactive helps classrooms explore topics of bias, diversity

Subjects & skills
Subjects
  • Social Studies
Skills
  • Character & SEL
  • Critical Thinking
  • Communication & Collaboration
Grades This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.
9–12
Great for:
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (2 Reviews)
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Website

Take a look inside

5 images
Parable of the Polygons is an interactive post about the impacts of bias.
The site is translated into ten languages.
Drag and drop shapes to make them "happy."
Realtime simulations show how segregation changes over time.
Simple explanations help guide users through the simulations.

Pros: The interactive games help students see and understand how “harmless choices can make a harmful world.”

Cons: Some may have difficulty understanding the connection between shapes and bias; others may feel it oversimplifies a complex topic.

Bottom Line: A fascinating way to address how communities become segregated due to individual bias.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Parable of the Polygons provides teachers with a creative way to open up the discussion around bias and its impact on society. Be sure to spend time trying out all of the simulations on your own so you can better assist your students in class. Once in the classroom, show the post to your whole class first to make sure they understand the basic concepts, as well as how to navigate the different elements.

It's best if students can have some time to work with the site independently -- they'll be able to make their own choices and view the results. A guided worksheet would be a valuable addition, not just for accountability but also as a jumping-off point for further discussion in class. Consider integrating the site into your curriculum in a variety of ways, whether during a unit on Civil Rights in a U.S. history class, a Race and Ethnicity unit in a sociology class, or any other course addressing related current issues.

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Standards:

Parable of the Polygons is an interactive website that stimulates thought and discussion around the connection between people's biases and segregation. The site presents itself as something like an interactive blog post based on Thomas Schelling’s 1971 paper Dynamic Models of Segregation. It's an academic concept that's explored here in a visual way with small, movable shapes (blue squares and yellow triangles) that smile or frown, depending on how "happy" they are in their "neighborhood." The shapes could represent two different racial groups, and each interactive simulation shows how people's biased, individual choices about where they live can drive others away from diverse neighborhoods, which can lead to more segregation.

Throughout the post, there are a number of different simulations that illustrate the concepts in different ways, with different variables that can be manipulated. Students can read, drag and drop the shapes, adjust percentages, and see in real time how their choices would impact segregation in a neighborhood over time. The post ends with a wrap-up of key points, as well as ways to challenge the kinds of biases that create segregation in our world.

Any activity that engages students in active thinking about social issues like bias and segregation is good for learning, and Parable of the Polygons offers these kinds of opportunities. However, while the site approaches these topics in an academic way, it wasn't designed specifically for K-12 classroom use. In many settings, teachers will need to scaffold the site's use with some background information, and make sure to allow ample time for reflective follow-up activities. As students use the site, they'll need time to explore on their own, but also some instruction around the differences between the various simulations. In addition, guided discussions and check-ins throughout will be vital to checking for understanding and allowing students to share their views.

The site's written content is clear, and should be accessible to most high school students. However, some of the concepts covered can be a bit abstract, and it may be necessary to offer some scaffolding around specific concepts ahead of time. Overall, Parable of the Polygons addresses key issues that are vital for kids to learn about in school. Just keep in mind that teachers will need to do some work to bring the site into a larger classroom discussion about segregation, bias, and diversity.

Overall Rating
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Students make choices and engage in active learning as they manipulate the models. Moving the shapes and controlling the variables should increase interest in how segregation changes over time.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

This complex theory is simplified and visualized to aid understanding, but teachers will need to offer scaffolding, too. Both the visuals and the guided narrative help make the content accessible to students with a range of abilities.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

While there aren't any lesson plans included, or an FAQ section, the post itself includes embedded explanations and guidance. More support for middle and high school teachers could increase accessibility.

Common Sense Reviewer
Jennifer Sitkin Classroom teacher
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Key Standards Supported

Reading Informational Text

  • RI.9-10.7

    Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

  • RI.9-10.2

    Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

  • RI.11-12.7

    Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

  • RI.11-12.2

    Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.

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Teacher Reviews

(See all 2 reviews) (2 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Suzy L. , Technology coordinator
Technology coordinator
Cherokee County Schools
Canton, United States
Allow Students to Experience the Benefits of Diversity in a Creative Way!
This activity would be a great, simple teaching tool. I love the fact that it is internet-based, thus requiring no setup, and that it teaches such a deep lesson about diversity in such a fun way. It makes the "player" consider his own thoughts about tolerance and prejudice, even with some simple shapes to guide the way. Even if you choose not to use this with your classroom students, it would be great for a church youth group or your own children as well.
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