Types of Classroom Simulations
Classroom simulations require students to assume the role of decision
makers in a historical or hypothetical situation. They are provided with
sufficient background information to perform their individual roles, to
discuss the merits of various decision options and to render a decision.
Simulation design and student groupings vary depending on the situation,
available material and the desired learning outcomes. Simulations are
effective in stimulating lively class discussion and promoting critical
thinking. They can prompt students to reconsider prevailing assumptions
and adopt new perspectives as well as serve as a stimulus for a number of
individual student or group research projects. These research projects
could include investigating the background of the situation, identifying
the factors that promote or inhibit a resolution, contrasting the
simulation with actual decisions, or assessing the influence of particular
individuals or groups in the final outcome.
Role Playing Simulations
Simulations involve some level of role playing by the students, but these roles can be very specific, as an historical individual or the author of a book students are reading; more general, as a representative of a political group, a particular philosophy, or a specific country, region, or state; or very generic, as in a decision maker assessing the historical options. An example of a generic role playing simulation would be Recent World Crises in which groups of four or five students simulate a United Nations commission seeking a political resolution to one of the following world crises: Northern Ireland, West Bank, Bosnia, or Kosovo. Students receive ethnic and religious data for the region in dispute and the two countries contending for the region, but all labels and names are fictitious so the students cannot determine which crisis they are considering. Subsequent discussion can contrast the decisions of the student groups, compare aspects of the four crises, or focus on any discomfort or shift in position when the identities in the crisis are revealed.
Game Simulations
A reward system may be incorporated in the simulation that creates a
competitive situation between groups while fostering cooperation within
each group. These game simulations are particularly useful when simulating
political disputes where groups of students seek their own rewards, but
must also negotiate and compromise to reach a consensus or political
bargain that achieves their goals. An example of a game simulation would
be Sectional Politics in which students consider six political issues and
negotiate resolutions acting as the U. S. Senate between 1830 and 1850.
Each six-student senate has one pair of students representing the
Northeast, one pair the Southeast, and one pair the West. Each pair argues
for their region’s positions and receives points for decisions favorable to
their region. Another way to use games is using scored debates. This also can be used to model a writing assignment on argumentation with an in class exercise. Students choose a topic and receive one point for each opinion that is backed up with evidence, but two points for each counter argument (using the other sides' evidence 'against' them).
Map Simulations
Maps may be employed in some simulations to convey information to the students, to designate various territorial options, and to visually display student decisions. Map simulations are particularly appropriate when focusing on diplomatic conventions, trade agreements, explorations, and colonization. An example of a map simulation would be the Treaty of Versailles that requires student triads to determine the boundaries of the new countries in Eastern Europe following World War I. Each triad receives one map depicting the location of ethnic groups, a second map indicating the areas that contained religious majorities, and a transparency map to superimpose over the others. In the process of determining boundaries, students discuss various aspects of nationalism and the relative importance of religious and ethnic identities as well as recognize a variety of boundary disputes that have plagued the region throughout the twentieth century.
Trial Simulations
A simulated trial conveys content information, at the same time it encourages collaborative learning and critical thinking. Trial simulations can be used in a number of different courses whenever collaboration and critical thinking are called for. An example of a mock trial in a reading course would be for students to read a short story, novel, or watch a film that has a controversial issue, or involves a legal case. Then, students are assigned roles as characters from the story, or as the attorneys, judge or jury. The class then puts the story or novel on trial and attempts to resolve the issue involved. Actual current legal cases or famous Supreme Court cases can also be used if learning more about the legal system is a goal of the course. (The Street Law Program has a number of cases available free of charge on their web page: www.streetlaw.org).
