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Alternative Modes of Teaching and Learning

Alternative modes to delivery

Simulations

Definition

...techniques which aim to provide the student with ... a highly simplified reproduction of part of a real or imaginary world.
Many simulations involve students in making decisions and communicating or negotiating with one another. The students provide the human element in the system that is being studied and they are expected to react to the situation in a way that will be determined by how they and the other participants see their relative position, motivations and attitudes - in other words how they see their role within the system. Role-play is the name given to one particular type of simulation that focuses attention on the interaction of people with one another. It emphasizes the functions performed by different people under various circumstances.

van Ments, M., The Effective Use of Role Play: A Handbook for Teachers & Trainers. Revised ed. 1989, New York: Nichols Publishing. 186.

In both,(simulations/games) the aim is to recreate or represent in a limited time in the classroom particular situations which exist in the world outside. They may have a competitive element and may be based on someone's model of the way factors interact in everyday settings. Economics or business games are a good example of this kind, often using a computer program which incorporates the model on which the simulation is based. Alternatively, simulations can be free of any underlying model or framework. .... In either type, the purpose is to learn from the consequences of decisions and choices made within the exercise and to gain understandings which can be useful in the workplace.

Reynolds, M. (1994) Groupwork in Education and Training Ideas in Practice, London: Kogan Page, pp18-19.

Advantages

• Provides a 'safe', virtual environment in which students can explore the impact of decisions made and actions taken whithout 'real-world'
• Engages students actively in learning process
• Contextualises and facilitates integration of theory and practice

Disadvantages

• Not all students will find the 'situations' plausible or meaningful
• Can lead to real-life consequences in terms of group dynamics and personal confidence

Resources and References