Lesson Plan –Moral Dilemma

Mr. Ali Batmanghelidj

Northwestern High School

Law Lesson Plan: Individual vs. Group Interests

 Law Lesson: Individual vs. Group Interests
Characteristics of the class: This lesson was planned for 11th grade students in my Criminal
Justice Law course. As a standardized curriculum does not exist for this course, I have created the
material for my students every step of the way. This path that I have created will lead my students
through an introduction of the legal system, an understanding of criminal law, policing, criminal
courts, imprisonment, juvenile justice and victims’ rights. My classes are inclusion classes that
have students of all abilities. All of my classes are energetic, talkative groups that are with me for
90 minute blocks.
Unit: Policing.
NCSS Standards: VI. The teacher will provide opportunities for learners to examine issues
involving the rights, roles, and status of individuals in relation to the general welfare.
Core Learning Goal 1.3: The student will apply acquired knowledge, skills, and strategies
effectively in new learning situations by: CLSFS133: identifying & using knowledge, skills, or
strategies, as appropriate, in new learning situations.
Lesson Objective: Students will analyze the interpersonal nature of the law and police
interrogation by actively manipulating the Prisoner’s Dilemma game theory. Students will further
apply gained understanding of the conflict between what is a rational choice for an individual
member of a group and for the group as a whole by analyzing a version of the Prisoner’s
Dilemma, known as The Tragedy of the Commons.
Materials Needed: Drill Cartoon Handout, A- “Prisoner’s Dilemma,” computers and library
Review/Drill (10mins):
1. Students enter class and are provided a handout with the following cartoons and questions.

A. What is occurring in each of the two cartoons?

B. Explain any similarities or differences that the suspect in each cartoon may have to the other
C. Describe how each cartoon refers to our topic of study yesterday (police questioning,
interrogation).
2. As students complete their responses, teacher collects homework and completes roll.
3. Drill time will expire when timer goes off and volunteers will be asked to share responses.
Motivation/Readiness (Teacher-centered) (10 mins):
1. Leading seamlessly from the review, I will initiate a discussion regarding interrogation,
personalized for the students’ level, regarding hypothetical game theory. The hypothetical case
will be related as follows:
Your parent or guardian is questioning you and your brother Javo after your family’s very
expensive DVD recorder has been broken by one of you. You are being questioned in separate
rooms without a chance to communicate with each other. You are both told the same:
- If both confess, your parent will know one is lying and will ground both of you for four weeks.
- If neither of you confesses, your parent won’t know who did it, and you'll both get two weeks.
- If only one of you confesses and the other doesn't, the confessor will be offered a deal by your
parent and will not be grounded. The other one gets grounded for five weeks.
2. I will then question students regarding the case. Questions & prospective answers will include:
- At first glance, which strategy appears most beneficial? (No matter what the other person does,
you'll be better off confessing).
- Why might this technique not prove the best? (Maddeningly, the other person realizes this as
well, so you both end up getting four weeks)
- In light of this, what might be the best solution? (Ironically, if you had both "cooperated"--
refused to confess,--you would both be much better off.)
3. The game, I will relate, becomes much more complicated than it first appeared. If you play
repeatedly, the goal is to figure out Javo’s strategy and use it to minimize your total punishment
time. Javo will be doing the same. Remember, the object of the game is not to purposely harm
Javo. The object is to minimize your punishment time. If this means ruthlessly exploiting Javo’s
generosity, then do so. If this means helping Javo by cooperating, then do so.
Activity/Development 1 (Group-centered) (20 mins):
1. Students are to work in groups of four—directions will be modeled with one group.
2. Select a spokesperson to report out the results of the group.
2. Distribute copies of Handout A- “Prisoner’s Dilemma” to all groups.
3. Students will work in pairs within their four-person group. Similar to a rocks-paper-scissor
analogy, they are to play the Prisoner’s Dilemma game theory five times and record the respective
amount of jail time that each would get. The person with the lowest amount of collective jail time
is the winner (in case of tie, continue until winner reached). Winning pairs from four person
group will now play each other.
5. I will personalize interactions with students, moving across groups to aid with possible
difficulties. If a student seems frustrated, I will help with strategy aspect of the game.
6. Students submit their work for Handout A, which will be formally assessed by the teacher.
8. In reporting out the group’s conversations, the reporter will be asked to state the ultimate
winner in their four person group and the strategy utilized by the winner (likely to be prone
towards cooperation to minimize jail time).
Activity/Development 2 (Individual-centered) (25 mins):
1. Students will be lead by the teacher to the school library. There, they will work at computer
stations and log onto the sites: http://www.gametheory.net/Web/PDilemma/Pdilemma.html and
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/playground/pd.html
3. On the first site, students will play five rounds against the computer system that utilizes various
strategies. The student is to determine which strategy results in the highest score (cooperative).
4. On the second site, students are to determine which strategy results in the greatest coins (coop).
2. Students are to work individually, but may assist classmates with technical/computer issues.
3. While students work, the teacher will informally monitor their progress, addressing any
potential student requests for help.
4. After they have finished, the teacher will ask students if their results against the computer
mirrored their results from Activity 1 in class (cooperative most beneficial).
5. At first glance, what might seem to be the best strategy? (It is better to confess that remain
silent).
6. If this occurs, what is the "dilemma" faced by the prisoners? (The tempting error is to think that
each is better off confessing than remaining silent. But the outcome obtained when both confess
is worse for each than the outcome they would have obtained had both cooperated and remained
silent.)
7. Teacher will relate that a common view is that the puzzle illustrates a conflict between
individual and group rationality. A group whose members pursue rational self-interest may all end
up worse off than a group whose members act contrary to rational self-interest. More generally, if
the payoffs are not assumed to represent self-interest, a group whose members rationally pursue
any goals may all meet less success than if they had not rationally pursued their goals
individually.
Closing/Assessment (Understanding, Mastery, Placement) (20 mins):
1. Consequently, the Prisoner’s Dilemma and Public Choice Theories help us understand how
such dilemmas can be resolved for the greater good.
1. One student will be asked to summarize the objective for the day (Our objective for the day
involved utilizing police interrogation—Prisoner’s Dilemma—to understand the conflict between
individual and group interests and which strategies best overcome such conflicts).
2. Another student will be asked to identify the first part of the objective (know).
3. Another student will be asked how the objective was met (do).
4. Another student will be asked how students placed their knowledge in a tangible context (by
manipulating game theories offering real-world case scenarios).
6. I will commence a wrap-up discussion about how the Prisoner’s Dilemma and Public Choice
Theories help us understand how such dilemmas can be resolved for the greater good.
Much of our world is treated as a "commons" wherein individuals have the right to freely
consume its resources and return their wastes.
- How is this a variation of the Prisoner’s Dilemma? (At first glance, it may seem that the best
strategy for each individual is to consume as much resources as possible).
- From the Prisoner’s Dilemma, what did we learn that proves this strategy incorrect? (If
everyone thinks this way, such behavior will ultimately destroy many resources as well as
bring the demise of those who depend upon it for survival). Very good! This is what’s
known as the “Tragedy of the Commons” and was noted by Garrett Hardin in a 1968
paper published in the journal SCIENCE (162:1243-1248).
- What is a more responsible approach? (To cooperate for the greater good—like the prisoner’s
who remained silent).
Homework (5mins to explain):
1. Students are to describe the conflict between the interests of the individual and the group.
2. Directions written on board: Students are to write a paragraph that describes a situation similar
to the Prisoner’s Dilemma or the “Tragedy of the Commons.” Describe why a certain solution
may seem originally tempting, but ultimately prove fatal.
Suggested main ideas:
- Two basketball players who try to gain advantages by constantly fouling each other.
-Two countries who constantly build up their weapons against each other.
Note (teacher self-note):
1. Extra credit to any student who logs onto http://dieoff.org/page95.htm, reads the Tragedy of
Commons and explains the tic-tac-toe analogy.
Reflections (Content & Category):
This lesson leant itself very well to national standards by allowing students to examine the conflict
between individual and group interests. Through the mechanism of police interrogation, student’s
analyzed how the Prisoner’s Dilemma and Public Choice Theories help us understand how such
issues can be resolved for the greater good. The incorporation of the hypothetical case
involving the DVD recorder and police interrogation within the Prisoner’s Dilemma better
elucidated such concepts by providing real-world examples that students could sympathize with. The
questioning script for this lesson anticipated student responses, helping to keep focus on the objective.
This lesson took into consideration the needs of my visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. I handed
out photocopied material for my visual learners to see and read. I also orally covered the information
for my auditory learners. I choose advanced students to explain a concept while those in need of extra
help were selected to reiterate the concept, thus providing a means of recognition as well as a strategic
way to scaffold. I monitored progress accordingly during guided and independent practice. I further
clarified concepts to those in greater need of help, thus motivating students to aspire to higher levels
of Bloom’s Taxonomy once they understood key concepts.
 Handout A: Prisoner's Dilemma
Martin and Cole have been arrested for robbing the Hibernia Savings Bank and
placed in separate isolation cells. Both care much more about their personal freedom than
about the welfare of their accomplice. A clever prosecutor makes the following offer to
each. "You may choose to confess or remain silent. If you confess and your accomplice
remains silent I will drop all charges against you and use your testimony to ensure that
your accomplice does ten years in jail (Outcome A). Likewise, if your accomplice
confesses while you remain silent, they will go free while you do the ten years (Outcome
B). If you both confess I get two convictions, but I'll see to it that you both get early
parole in five years (Outcome C). If you both remain silent, I'll have to settle for token
sentences of two years for both of you on firearms possession charges (Outcome D). If
you wish to confess, you must leave a note with the jailer before my return tomorrow
morning."
Jail Time
Martin, Cole
Outcome A 0, 10
Outcome B 10, 0
Outcome C 5, 5 –both confess
Outcome D 2, 2—firearms

1. Martin __________ Cole ______________

2. Martin __________ Cole ______________
3. Martin __________ Cole ______________
4. Martin __________ Cole ______________
5. Martin __________ Cole ______________

Total ______________ Total ______________

Average (Total/Tries)_____ Average (Total/Tries)______

Best Outcome___________ Best Outcome ___________