Simulations and the games in education:

By the development of science and technology, many opportunities are introduced to the field of
education. Simulations and games are two of them which are utilized widespread around the world.
Simulation is basically the presentation of an artificial situation or virtual event that represents
reality. In simulations, the possible risks that could be involved in the real situation is usually
removed. Simulations can be models of what exists or might exist under manageable and
controlled conditions. Today when we say simulation, we usually mean the computer simulations.
There are two types of simulations:
 Human simulations: These usually take place in the form of role-playing, or socio-drama.
 Person-to-computer simulations: These are simulation games processed by the computers
and interacted by the trainees.
Simulations can be used in any subject such as chemistry, physics, math, electronics, geography,
medicine and even law. Being not limited only to children, it is also vital in adult instruction in
today’s world. Training of many critical professionals like pilots, surgeons, drivers and operational
commanders are realized through simulators. Many of us know ‘SimCity’ which is a good simulation
game, a platform for a virtual mayor. But how many of us know that, the famous seasoned game
can be a good training tool in a Community Planning Classroom in a university (Terzano & Morckel,
2016). We must also mention that there are simulators for teacher and school principal trainings
(DeJong & Grundmeyer, 2018).
As a teacher of math, I strongly support the utilization of simulations not only in the field of
education, but also in every field of life.
In a very fresh study (Tremblay, Leppink, Leclerc, Rethans & Dolmans, 2019) carried out on a total
of 167 second‐year pharmacy students, these students were randomly assigned to undertake one
simple and one complex learning task in Simulated Clinical Immersion (SCI) program consecutively.
According to this research, although complex tasks in SCI were more cognitively demanding and
took longer to execute, students indicated that they learned more from them than they did from
simple tasks. While complex learning tasks in simulation‐based training are more cognitively
challenging and make novices more prone to generating mistakes, they are considered more
valuable learning experiences from the trainees' perspective.

On the other hand, educational games are not necessarily computer games, and they can exhibit
themselves in various forms: ‘Scribble’, ‘Bingo’, ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’, and ‘Hangman’ are
some very common and famous educational games (Taylor, 2020).
These games involve students in decision-making roles in which they compete for certain objectives
according to specified rules. Because of this, the context of the educational games should reflect a
feature or fact of society.
One important point about the games is their competitive nature. This should be kept in
perspective. Computer games recently appeared and today they play a great role in children’s lives.
Teachers should also consider using appropriate computer simulations and games in the classroom.
There is a distinction between games and simulations: Usually games are played to win, aimed to
teach through pleasure; whereas simulations need not have a winner, usually aimed to encourage
to learn with abundant opportunities and options without risk.

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Simulations and games offer many benefits. Indeed, they provide a variety of learning opportunities
in the classroom. Such activities can create interest and relieve tension in difficult curriculum areas.
Involving the students in their own learning, providing an immediate feedback to students, enabling
the students to practice communication skills, creating a high degree of interest and enthusiasm,
promoting and rewarding analytical and critical thinking, allowing experimentation with a model of
the real environment, and allowing teachers to work with a wide range of student capabilities at the
same time are some of them.
Furthermore, students often find simulations and games fun. In addition, the purpose of a
simulation is to encourage students to act out the behaviors and express in their own words the
actions and arguments behind an issue.

However there are also some limitations associated with the simulations and computer games:
They may demand a great deal of imagination on the part of the teacher and students, they may
not reflect the real situation perfectly, screening out critical elements (for example, the driver
education simulator often does not include traffic, noise, and the presence of others), the expense
involved in obtaining commercially produced simulations and games can be great, and relationships
often develop between the teacher and students that are too informal, which can lead to
management problems. Nevertheless, these limitations can be overcome with proper planning.
Unfortunately I have to admit that I have not been enough diligent in the integration of games in
my classes. That could be better. However I was so insistent in involving the interactive math
applets which could be regarded as simulations. As a teacher I can say that the game ‘Who wants
to be a billionaire?’ is a fantastic game that can be used to highly promote the quality of any lesson.
There are several versions of this game adapted for many subjects and grade levels. I believe it is a
good tool for the teachers.
Ersoy OSANC, Feb 2020, NAU

References:
DeJong, D., Grundmeyer, T. (2018). Educational leadership simulations: Learning lessons
from behind the curtain of educational leadership. International journal of educational leadership
preparation, 13(1), 189-200.
Moore K. D. (2015). Effective instructional strategies: From theory to practice. 4th editon.
Sage Publications, ISBN 978-1-4833-0658-2.
Taylor, S. (2020). Sample games to be used in the classroom. Center for Teaching Excellence, Indiana
University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from the url https://www.iup.edu/teachingexcellence/reflective-
practice/past-events/2008-09/sample-games-to-be-used-in-the-classroom/
Terzano, K., Morckel, V. (2016). SimCity in the community planning classroom: Effects on student
knowledge, interests, and perceptions of the discipline of planning. Journal of planning education and
research, 37(1), 95-105.
Tremblay, M., Leppink, J., Leclerc, G., Rethans, J., Dolmans, D. (2019). Simulation‐based education for
novices: Complex learning tasks promote reflective practice. Medical Education, 53(4), p380-389.