"Situated
learning" is a focus developed from constructivist theories of education (Quay,
2003). Lunce (2006) notes that a
"fundamental concept of situated learning is that all learning takes place in a
specific context and the context significantly impacts learning. When learning is removed from its context,
the value of the knowledge and the relevance of that knowledge to the learner
become depreciated." An important aspect of using simulations or situated
learning experiences to motivate and educate is the fact that the more situated
in the "real world" the learning appears to the student/trainee, the less
necessary it is for educators and learners to employ linear approaches to the
material encompassed. This means that in either a simulation or in
collaborative activities "students engaged in situated learning tend to exhibit
emergent meta-cognitive behaviours."
Such
meta-cognitive reflections are the heart-and-soul of well-designed simulations,
which always entail a reflective "debriefing" practice for educators and
students. One reason that both situated learning and collaborative learning
situations provide such a positive experience for students and trainers is that
they create "a community of practice" whereby participants and trainers see
themselves as peers. "As the learner's knowledge and skills increase, the role
and status of the learner as a member of a community gradually evolves from
that of novice or apprentice to expert" (Lunce). In both
the short-term and the long term, simulations and situated learning have a
positive impact on how participants and teacher approach the building of
knowledge communities (Christal, Ferneding, Kennedy, & Puthoff 2001).
Chilcott
explains that a simulation is "designed to replicate a real-life situation as
closely as desired, has students assume roles as they analyse data, make
decisions and solve the problems inherent in the situation. As the simulation proceeds, students respond
to the changes within the situation by studying the consequences of their decisions
and subsequent actions and predicting future problems/solutions." There are a great variety of simulations
already available, online, in-packages, or offered by good training
institutions around the globe.
For
example, there are many simulation games online for single and multiplayer for
the board game RISK (Bodine, 2013) , which geography and history teachers have
employed for years to encourage students to enquire spatial and geographic
knowledge. PhET of Colorado, alone, offers for free over 110 million
simulations currently online for teachers to employ with students in the
classroom. The creator of Barnga, Sivasailam Thiagarajan (2013) offers over 150 free
work-place simulations on his website.
Chilcott
classifies simulations in the classroom into two types: (1) role-playing simulations and (2) system
dynamic simulations. In contrast to role-playing, the focus in system dynamic
simulations is that participants will experience how a real-world
situation plays out over time. Several
simulations, such as the aforementioned cross-cultural simulation, Barnga, can
be used in both of these types of simulation.
Table 1
Chilcott's
(1996) Classifications
Role-Playing
Simulations
System Dynamic Simulations
Description
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