In short, "Traditional teaching methods in the
Other skills-area needs of young people across the region--and around globe--involve
combining new workplace technologies, such as computers and communication
technologies, with class-room acquired skills (Gahala, 2001). Other
social- and work settings are requiring and/or demanding more situated-learning
and lifelong-learning skills of their new recruits and older employees, and
these new situations require trainees and employees to think differently, and
to interact with others differently. In
any case, the employee needs to acquire and maintain new responsibilities at an
increasing rate--and/or acquire a new data base of knowledge in a relatively
short period of time (Brown 2005).
Just
as students are taught early-on that creating a good written paragraph involves
various elements, e.g., (1) a good topic sentence, (2) great supporting details,
and a (3) strong conclusion, Middle Eastern students need to be shown an image
or target of what is required to do well in the work place--especially for working
with others outside of the college world in general. This is true--regardless as to whether an
Omani works with teammates (or workmates) from the same tribe or culture. It
cannot be overstated that educational or training simulations and projects are
one way that both academic institutions and training centres can empower youth
and older workers to succeed in the world-wide evolving work and social
climates we real face every day.
This
is certainly why trainers and educators in the last half-century have often encouraged
the creation of and implementation of helpful group-work and teamwork rubrics
or checklists which support such soft-skills and positive group-work
behaviours. Moreover, it is well-known that the best context for conducting such
evaluations or encouraging self-monitoring by participating students are found
either in real-world experiences or in well-defined simulations of the real
world. In the next part of this papers, therefore, the focus is on the ways-and-means
of implementing and using "educational simulations" in the work place or
classroom (as well as in any other training
and in educational settings) to motivate and empower Omani and other Middle
Easterners to thrive in a variety of evolving business and multicultural settings
in this 21st century.
WHAT IS A SIMULATION?
Simulations
fall under the domain of situated learning and often within the domain of
experiential learning. Simulations can be applied to many workplace situations
(Australian National Training Authority, 2013), such as in interviewing,
carrying out business negotiations, or processing or mediating turf issues among
differing actors within the same firm (ODEP, 2010). Simulations can involve new
technologies, such as computers and relating new information media. Simulations can be employed in e-learning
(Shoaf 2013). They can be done in a classroom or outside. They can be done in either crowded and noisy
environments or they can be carried out in silence and relaxed settings, such
as the classic cross-cultural simulation, Barnga. In short, as an educational tool any
profession and teaching subject might include an element of simulation in its
design or in the on-going training or research program.
Chilcott
(1996) defines simulation as "a method of teaching/learning or evaluating
learning of curricular content that is based on an actual situation." According to Lunce (2006), the issue that has
caught the attention of many researchers in education in recent years is that in both schools and colleges, there
has been a noticeable absence of such "real-world" or situated learning in our
classrooms. This has not just in
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