Reflection and Improving Practice
Clearly, the students work did not achieve my initially high expectations. I largely take responsibility for this gap between my expectations and their final product. Since the activity was early in my teaching career, I did not understand the value of rubrics or targeted writing skills. If I had implemented clearer directions and if I had more explicitly stated my expectations, my students work would have been far different. This activity played a large role in my own development as a teacher.
However, these artifacts also highlight a bigger problem with simulations, connecting the engaging activity to the historical theme or content. The activity gave students relative freedom to practice critical thinking and problem-solving, so from a skills-based perspective it was partially successful. In contrast, from a thematic or content based perspective, one could argue that the activity failed. While students may have partly experienced the notion of imperialism, they could not fully grasp the concept or even define it successfully in their papers. So I am still unsure whether this activity was worth spending 4 days completing. Since simulations have a tendency to take a long time to set up and play out, a teacher needs to always ask whether the benefits of simulation outweigh the time lost. In this case, a simulation, removed from the historical context of the unit, might not necessarily be worth the time. Simulations that are situated within a historical context have a better chance addressing all three components, outside of empathy and imagination, that I believe are necessary; skill-building, thematic understanding and student engagement.
However, these artifacts also highlight a bigger problem with simulations, connecting the engaging activity to the historical theme or content. The activity gave students relative freedom to practice critical thinking and problem-solving, so from a skills-based perspective it was partially successful. In contrast, from a thematic or content based perspective, one could argue that the activity failed. While students may have partly experienced the notion of imperialism, they could not fully grasp the concept or even define it successfully in their papers. So I am still unsure whether this activity was worth spending 4 days completing. Since simulations have a tendency to take a long time to set up and play out, a teacher needs to always ask whether the benefits of simulation outweigh the time lost. In this case, a simulation, removed from the historical context of the unit, might not necessarily be worth the time. Simulations that are situated within a historical context have a better chance addressing all three components, outside of empathy and imagination, that I believe are necessary; skill-building, thematic understanding and student engagement.