Simulations and Role Playing... in the Classroom?

Let's first start by talking about what a simulation is. A simulation is an open-ended scenario presented to students for them assume the roles of other people, make decisions, resolve conflicts, and make predictions to gain a deeper understanding of concepts and events. Simulations can have multiple outcomes, makes it possible for students to repeat the scenario and make different decisions to see the outcome. "A simulation is a form of experiential learning that is student-centered." Role-playing is the acting out of the part of a particular person or character, for examples as a technique in training or psychotherapy. Role-playing simulations place the students in the position of a person in a particular time and place. Most times, these simulations involve group problem-solving and conflict resolution.

One good reason to do role-playing simulations are because it gets the students involved in creating their characters. Given a character to students, allows them to describe the need and desires, give a description of the historicial problem, etc. The students making decisions as the character would in that time period can help students to think back to that specific time period. Role-playing simulation can lead to unpredictable outcomes, which can be an interesting discussion. With students role-playing and playing a character from a different time period, students may have differemt thing to say; which leads to some very interesting classroom discussions about why things turned out the way they did, what could have happened differently, and how the simulation compares to what actually occurred in history.

Students today think history is boring, histroy is dead. They have no clue how those past events have actually impacted their lives today. Simulations allows students to gain a richer understanding and evluate multiple perspectives of a specfic scenario. It makes it possible for students to repeat scenarios and make different decisions to see how the outcome is affected. Students will become more engaged will participating in hands-on activites, their more eager to solve problems, come up with their own solutions, and explore alternative actions. The skills developed when using simulations: communication, working cooperatively, problem-solving, reasoning, and critical analysis.

Students have to analyze events and be critical thinkers to make informed decisions, understanding their own thought process as they reflect and think about their choices and why they made those choices. Simulation are good, they are needed in social studies classrooms. Simulations help bridge this gap.