Simulations in Education

Simulations in Education

This webzine presented ideas of how engaging online simulations can be compared to classroom learning. The emphasis seems to be on the engagement in problem solving and higher order thinking with a motivation that does not occur in the classroom. They illustrated this concept with the lines that form outside a store at 12am waiting for the latest game/simulation to be released when we obviously do not have those lines forming outside of our schools.

One of the simulations presented was SimSchool which would provide preservice training to teachers before the entered a real classroom. This opportunity would have been useful to me as an alternative routes teacher that was expected to learn classroom management exclusively from my internship with limited exposure to different approaches or best practices.

Simulations are used with the military, business, education to provide just in time training that would be too expensive or dangerous to provide in real time. I can see a simulation game being used to provide opportunities to practice skills previously learned in the classroom. Examples of this could be interior decorating, home constructions, and simple business models such as a pizza company. This could provide practice with simple linear equations.