Will younger teachers
think and learn differently? simSchool thinks so.

The ability to teach is not abstract knowledge that individuals either do or do not have, but a knowledge in practice. Researchers tell us that knowledge is “knowing how,” a capacity to perform or act in particular circumstances. Like “knowing how “to ride a bicycle, the knowledge can not be separated from the practice. (Orlikowski 2002)

Games and simulations provide a context in which to develop “know how” situated in the practice of doing, To play a game, you immerse yourself in a content area, become familiar with all of the potential moves, and interact in context. Overtime a player builds a repertoire of moves or know how that can transfer to other situations.

When you play simSchool you act the role of teacher, instructing students with diverse personalities, behavioral characteristics, and learning attributes and skills. Each time you “play” simSchool you interact with a unique classroom of simStudents. Each simStudent has an individual profile - his/her history, academic performance, as well as social and emotional characteristics. Each simStudent has a unique personality made up of Traits and Needs, Learning Preferences, and Social Expectations that determine how s/he acts, what s/he says in class, and how s/he performs when prompted.

As the teacher playing simSchool, you master the language of teaching. You design tasks for the whole class or adjust tasks to fit individual student learning needs. To see your impact, watch how your students sit in their chairs. “Alert” says they are learning; slumped indicates they have “tuned out.” You can even “talk” to your students through selected exchanges, matching your comments to fit with a student’s personality, e.g., a supportive statement for a shy student, more assertive with a hostile student. Use the Grade Book to interpret your simStudent’s performance on in-class assignments, participation in large and small group discussions, and quizzes and tests. In the role of teaching, you are learning through action and making a multitude of complex decisions that lead to internalizing the strategies and skills of teaching.