Simulations and “Learning by Doing”

Plan for today Discussion talk (10 min) Work in pairs with a piece of simulation software (~60 min) Break (10 min) Compare experiences and plan in groups of 4 (10 min) Debrief and discuss as a whole group (30 min)

Learning by Doing A lot of school learning is “just in case” –Instructional design involves mapping out knowledge, breaking into little chunks, and sequencing these –This aims to maximize organizational efficiency, and the speed and comfort with which students can move through curriculum Trade-offs –Can be unmotivating (“Why do we need to know this?”) –Some students never put the little pieces of sequenced knowledge together –Reduces opportunities for failure-driven learning

Simulations you’ve been involved in? What examples can you give of learning experiences, either in or out of school, that were structured to be like the “real thing”?

Learning by Doing Trade-offs Opportunities Motivating Engages learner in active problem solving Better chance of transfer Problems Complex Risky Expensive Time-consuming Lessons limited by perception

Why computer simulations? Reduce cost Limit risk Accelerate time Slow time down Repeat problems Expensive Risky Time- consuming Too fast

Simulations are selectively authentic A good simulation is “better than the real thing” for someone who is still mastering the skills and knowledge required to play a role Parallels the “real world” in selective ways In other ways, it improves upon real life: –Automatic record-keeping helps you re-trace where you’ve been or what you’ve done –Problems or situations can be repeated easily –Rarely-occurring (but important) problems can be set up easily –Rules of the artificial world are strictly enforced (which keeps everybody honest)

Your Task First: Let the experience wash over you Then: Ask yourself and your partners: –What educational value does this have? –For whom? –In what ways is it realistic? What knowledge does it require/develop? –How could this potential be maximized in a school setting?

Challenges of Teaching with Simulations Do not have anything like the sequential structure of scope-and-sequence lessons. Instead of the content organizing the experience, the experience organizes the content. The “structure” of the learning experience comes from: –The role learners play within the simulation –The goals they have to meet –The challenges to meeting these goals –The tools and opportunities available for surmounting the challenges The “lessons” have to be pulled out through reflection