Chapter 3: Interpersonal and Curricular Dimensions of Simulations: Lessons from a Sophomore Civics Classroom

I recently overheard two experienced social studies teachers have the following paraphrased exchange regarding simulations:

Teacher 1: You don't need to use simulations because the content is interesting enough without such gimmicks.

Teacher 2: I completely agree.

This exchange disheartened me, as I think it betrays a misconception about the reasons a teacher would make the pedagogical decision to engage students in a simulation. While I might agree that social studies content is compelling, students do not always agree (Chido & Byford, 2004; Schug, Todd, & Berry, 1982; Stockdill & Moje, 2013; see also Moore's chapter), and this can be the result of the way such material is presented. The teachers' exchange overlooks a key pedagogical resource every teacher has available: their students. Rather than focusing only on the content (and its interest or motivation), teachers need to take into account the intersection of the content and the interpersonal relationships that make up the classroom. It is those relationships that constitute the pedagogical “leverage” available to the teacher from those relationships. I also wondered if those experienced teachers were not in the past overwhelmed by attempting to use simulations (cf. Wright-Maley, 2016). Simulations may be more formidable to enact properly than lectures (see the introduction to this volume), and I hope this chapter provides some insight into the aspects of design that are more likely to make simulations a successful experience.