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Goals & Objectives:
The primary goal of a simulation exercise to is to allow students to vicariously
experience some phenomena. Following that experience, they develop knowledge
about a given principle.
Prerequisites:
Some form of background knowledge is expected in order to adequately interpret
the simulation taking place. Often, an exercise prior to the simulation will
help to frame the experience.
Materials and Resources:
What needs to be prepared in advance by the teacher? - The simulation needs
programmed, found, or purchases. Discussion or additional activities centered
around the simulation need to be developed.
What does the student need to bring to the lesson? - Some software may be
required to experience the simulation. Flash and Java are the most common
used. Some may require stand alone software such as ChemLab.
Guiding Questions for this Activity:
The guiding questions for such an activity are often centered around process
or the outcome of that process.
Typical Activity Outlines and Procedures:
During a unit of study, students are assigned a simulation to experience
in order to further develop some concept. This simulation may be directed
by the instructor and viewed by the student or entirely student led. During
or after the simulation, students are assigned questions to answer concerning
the experience.
Teaching Strategies:
- Make sure that the students have the knowledge to interpret the simulation.
- Provide students with scaffolding regarding what they expect to learn
from the exercise. Key them into specific concepts they should pay attention
to while experiencing the simulation.
- Don't overdo simulations. While they are a wonderful learning tool, students
will eventually need some actual experiences.
Accommodations:
What accommodations may be needed for students with disabilities or other
special needs? Many simulation softwares are not suitable to screen readers
for the visually impaired. If sound is involved, the deaf will not hear them.
Also, they can be difficult to access within an accessible browser. Accommodations
or alternative activities may be necessary.
Bandwidth may be an issue over dialup. Some simulations may be presented
on CD or DVD for local access.
Timeline:
Simulations should be presented after any necessary background information.
They can be run independently by the student when ready, or they can be displayed
by the instructor during a synchronous session. If a simulation takes more
than 1 hour to complete, the student may lose interest.
Ideas for Activity Evaluation and Teacher Reflection:
How did the students like the lesson? End of semester evaluations should
ask about the usefulness and learning accomplished through such activities.
Addtional questions to ask include: How was student learning verified? Were
followup questions asked to verify retention of information? Were quiz or
test questions linked to activities in the simulation? Did the simulation
serve course or lesson objectives as well as other activities?
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