Chapter 7: Making Players Out of Haters: Learning to Love the Social Studies

When I began my teaching career, I was fortunate enough to stumble into a simulation about various types of governments. I was teaching 75 sixth graders about the various ways that countries are governed, including dictatorships, constitutional monarchies, communist leadership, true democracies, and democratic republics. This simulation allowed students to get into their roles and learn about some of the intricacies of governing. It was readily apparent to me that my students were much more enthusiastic in their participation with this simulation than I expected. This was revelatory for me, and the experience initiated my bourgeoning interest in how simulations might lead to higher student engagement. In my time spent in the classroom, simulations almost always provided a chance for students to engage in the content in more profound ways than anything I did with a textbook or lecture. Whether traveling with students on the Oregon Trail, or making decisions about how the colonists at Jamestown were going to survive, I recognized that students preferred having a simulation to work through; there was something inherently appealing about them to my students.