It is not that important which pedagogy you choose, you have to switch between them to keep all students engaged

Simschool

Simschool is an online learning environment focused on classroom management. The target group is teachers and pre-service teachers. The players should learn how to survive in the classroom. Simschool is a simulation in which the player is a teacher standing in front of a classroom. The goal is to engage every student in the lesson and adapt the right material to the individual student. As a player of the game, you can try different pedagogical approaches to see: a. how you can engage the students and b. what the effects of the different pedagogies are.  By trying different pedagogies you can find out what pedagogy fits with which student needs and still covers the learning content. The ultimate goal of Simschool is to improve your teaching using the experiences in SimSchool, so for example improved general teaching skills, improved use of technology and improved confidence in the use of technology. Figure 1 shows the classroom at the beginning of the lesson. Figure 2 shows personal information about the student at the end of the lesson.

Figure 1. The classroom situation in simSchool at the beginning of the lesson

Figure 2. The classroom situation in simSchool at the end of the lesson

Everly’s bad day

In the classroom of this simulation is only one student (Everly) present. You can overview the situation easy and as a teacher you can focus completely on the student. The lesson we did was mainly based on the traditional learning approach. It was very structured and can be given classical. Traditional learning is teacher-centered, in this simulation the teacher decided what should be done, how much time it should take and in which way things should be done. The lesson is not really adapted to the needs and preferences of the (individual) student. In practice it could be like the simulation we did: Everly started with a recall of the last week’s lessons, then he took notes during lecture and finally he had to do an oral quiz. Everly’s results at the end of this module were low academic growth, no sense of affiliation with the task and a bit sense of ability to do the task hand.

 

Reflection

 

Our experiences with simSchool

In this simulation you can experience how different approaches work out. We can imagine this simulation can help teachers and pre-service teachers to see how different approaches work in practice. They are free to explore and there are no consequences in real life.

 The simulation does not account for external influences, like parents, noises, bad weather, etcetera. The teacher qualities are not defined either. So if you are for example a bad presenter in real life, some things won’t work even if you have chosen the right combination of tasks in the simulation.

The lesson we gave to Everly was really bad for his academic growth and his affiliation with the task. Since it was not student centered but teacher centered. The teacher decides what to do and does not account for individual preferences. In simSchool it is possible to look up more information about Everly at the computer on the teacher’s desk. So in this way you can adapt the lesson to the individual needs of the student. Unfortunately this is what you also see in practice. It is for a teacher impossible to adapt his lesson to each individual student, because every student has his own learning preferences. To meet all those preferences a bit, a teacher should switch of pedagogy during his lessons. So, it is not that important which pedagogy you choose, but you have to switch between them to keep all students engaged.

 

How do simSchool, pedagogies and technology meet?

There are four levels of tasks in the simulation, (1) recall, (2) skill/concept, (3) strategic thinking, (4) extended thinking. In table 1 these tasks are coupled with a pedagogical approach. For each pedagogical approach there is given a short description and the tasks opportunities in simSchool and at last the way to use technologies.

 

Traditional learning

 

In short

The lessons according to this approach are teacher-centred. This encompasses that the teacher chooses what tasks should be carried out and how this should be assessed. In this way the lesson mostly has a fixed structure. The interaction is classical, so the teacher interacts with the whole group. The individual needs of each student are not taken into account.

In simSchool

Examples of which tasks you can choose in the simulation to support the traditional learning approach are shown in table 1. So for example you can choose to do a whole-class oral response, in this way the teacher is addressing questions and the students have to respond with the whole class. This is a typical classical lesson and therefore a form of traditional learning.

In technology

This approach is best supported by ‘old technologies’ like blackboard and books.

 

Inquiry based learning

 

In short

Unlike traditional learning, inquiry based learning is student-centred. Students have to do research and experiments to find out new things. The main goal is learning by doing their research. In this way the students determine the pace of the lesson and the learning process. The teacher does not provide information classically, but it is the purpose to support the students in their research so that they find the right information by themselves. In this way the teacher mainly has the role of supportive guide and not the role of information provider.

In simSchool

Examples of which tasks you can choose in the simulation to support the inquiry based learning approach are shown in table 1. So for example you can develop a hypothesis. This means that you have to state a hypothesis all by yourself or in groups and afterwards you can do experiments to see if your hypothesis is true.

In technology

For integrating technology while using an inquiry based learning approach you can use the internet to search for information to use when developing a hypothesis. Another option is to provide the students with a simulation in which the student can change the input variables and by looking at the different output variables can make conclusions about underlying technologies. 

 

Collaborative learning

 

In short

Students work in small groups with students of different levels. Every student takes part of the whole, so each group member has to know where the task is about and what is happening in the group. Students take place in group discussions to be held informed. Assessment is in the form of peer assessment, whereby the teacher and students pay attention to the content of the assignment and to the way of collaboration.

In simSchool

In the table you can find several tasks in simSchool you can use for collaborative learning. Typical examples of collaborative learning tasks are creating a product in a group or recalling last week’s lessons in a group discussion. Both tasks ask from students to work together, share their knowledge and discuss about similarities and (more interesting) differences in their knowledge.

In technology

The most important support technology can give to a collaborative learning approach is the support of the communication. Because nowadays internet is available for almost every students, internet applications are a good way to support communication. You can think about forums, msn, skype, weblogs, dropbox, et cetera.

 

Problem based learning

 

In short

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student centred approach. In PBL the student works towards the understanding of a resolution of a realistic problem. Students work in small groups and create a knowledge base for solving the problem by discussing problems and each other’s knowledge. Problem based learning works most of the time with peer assessment. 

In simSchool

In the table you can find different tasks in simSchool that will fit in a problem based learning approach. An example is playing a game. Most games provide students with several problems they have to solve before reaching the goal. By collaborating with fellow students, students can exchange information about how to reach the goal or subgoals.

In technology

Technology can support PBL by supporting the communication between students (for example: skype, msn, blackboard, etcetera) or by providing a problem in a realistic environment (for example: games and simulations).

 

Project based learning

 

In short

Project based learning is like problem based learning and collaborative learning student centred. Students work in groups on long-term projects in the real world. These projects are interdisciplinary.

In simSchool

In simSchool you can find different tasks that fit within a project based learning approach. In the table you can find some, for example developing a project plan and designing on multiple criteria. Students need these tasks to conclude their project. For a good collaboration and planning they need a project plan. For organizing an event or creating a product they have to take several criteria in to account, which they can learn with the task: designing on multiple criteria.

In technology

For integrating technology while using a project based learning approach you can use for example MS Project to let the students develop a project plan. In this way technology can support the pedagogy since the students will have to make their own project planning.

Table 1

Learning approach	Characteristics	Tasks in simulation		Examples of possible use of technology
Traditional learning	Classical lessons, teacher-centered, fixed structure.	1	Go over last week’s lessons, take a written test.	Books, exercise books, blackboard.
		2	Do whole-class oral response, silent reading.
		3	Take notes during lecture, analyze text.
		4	-
Inquiry based learning	Students do research in experiments, set and test hypotheses.	1	-	Encyclopedia, internet, simulations/games.
		2	-
		3	Play a game. Compare and contrast.
		4	Develop a hypothesis.
Collaborative learning	Students work in groups of students of different levels. Everybody takes part of the whole, group discussions. Peer assessment.	1	Go over last week’s lesson, take a pop quiz, do a brief presentation from memory.	Internet (forum, msn, skype, weblogs, dropbox, etcetera).
		2	Do a team worksheet.
		3	Play a game. Compare and contrast.
		4	Student-lead class discussion, make a creative product, develop a project plan, develop a hypothesis.
Problem based learning	Student-centered. Students solve a realistic problem in little groups. Peer assessment.	1	-	Interactive blackboard, internet for communication and research, simulations and games.
		2	-
		3	Play a game, do design on multiple criteria.
		4	Make a creative product, develop a hypothesis.
Project based learning	Student-centered. Long-term projects. Real world problem. Interdisciplinary.	1	-	Interactive blackboard, internet for communication and research. MS Project J
		2	Do a team worksheet.
		3	Do design on multiple criteria.
		4	Develop a project plan, develop a hypothesis, make a creative product.

Are you interested? Here you can find some more information:

o   http://www.simschool.org

o   http://tip.psychology.org