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1. Goals and Objectives:
To have students understand the role U.S. foreign intelligence, in particular the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) played in the formation and implementation of American policy.

2. Procedures:
Dewey suggested a four part division for “educational technology”: Inquiry, Communication, Construction, Expression. A Bruner revison would change the format of the lesson plan. In fact, his method would need two or more lesson plans to implement properly.

Following this format, I would break the class in 4 parts:
1. Inquiry: The students would exam the question: “What role has U.S. foreign Intelligence played in Afghanistan to the present.”
2. Communication: Using a series of documents, the students would exam this question. Breaking the students into groups, I would distribute a different document for each group. The students would discuss within the group, the significance of each document. Documents could include Zbigniew Brzezinski admission of successful U.S. covert operations in Afghanistan designed to draw the Soviets into the country, CIA reports showing cooperation with Afghanistan Opium Warlords who received weapons to fight the Soviets, DEA documents complaining that the CIA interfered or halted over 40 major investigations into heroin networks, Post 9/11 Special Operations demonstrating the dangers in operating in the nation. If possible, students could use computers to communicate with another class who were undertaking a similar assignment.
3. Construction: Students would be asked to create two opposite narratives, one from the perspective of the CIA, the other from the critics of their policies. I would expect them to use internet resources (with full citations) and to communicate between student groups.
4. Expression: At the end of the exercise, we would meet as a whole and discuss what the implications, problems, successes of U.S. foreign intelligence in Afghanistan.
Bruner Revision:
Spiral Curriculum- In order to set up the later discovery learning stage, I would offer one or two lectures (or readings) that would provide a backdrop to the desired goal above. Thus, students would be exposed in a small degree to the history of Afghanistan before the U.S. showed interest in the land-locked nation. This information would include the failures of another hegemonic nation/empire that tried unsuccessfully to impose its will on Afghanistan.
Also, if necessary, I would provide a short reading/lecture on the previous theories and applications of U.S. Foreign Intelligence and covert operations such as Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), or Cuba (1961).
With this backdrop, I would utilize Bruner’s discovery learning.
1. First, I would lead off with this previously offered question: “What role has U.S. foreign Intelligence played in Afghanistan to the present?” Leading students in a discussion, we would come up with some search terms that could guide us through a Declassified Documents (or other appropriate) web site(s).
2. The students would use the search terms to find documents or information that would pertain to the question.
3. The class would meet as a whole and the students would discuss what they found. I would then help organize their results in related themes.
4. My evaluation would include assessing their discussion participation and a 3-4 page paper to be turned in the following week
Alternative Game Plan:

Role-playing…break students up into groups of different players (DEA, CIA, Soviets, Taliban etc). Students would get materials and internet access. Keeping each group’s designs secret, the students would need to guess the identities and motives of the other groups.

3. Evaluation: I would assume Dewey would find success in how the exercise best socialized the children and their level of participation. I would have a follow-up exercise where each group turns in a short collaborative paper.

Materials: Declassified Documents, internet access, game materials for role playing