Simulation-based learning (SBL)

EdTech isn't about What you learn, It's more about How you learn. It's not about technology but about a technique of teaching-learning-assessment process.

Let's start around something in/famous as the cone of experience, famous because it's true in its original form and infamous because it's misinterpreted a lot. Anyways, let's start around what the propounder of the concept, Edgar Dale, thought about it. 

According to him, the way our mind loves receiving experiences is somewhat based on the number of senses involved in receiving the information (written in bold) and direct experience is a must for the peak experience. The cone of experience is a representation of the abstractness our mind feel while processing information.

Here’s what the cone of experience says;

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝘀 (𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁): He said, "We can't get much further away from reality than reading about it on paper or screen. Verbal symbols bear no resemblance to the objects or ideas they stand for. Nevertheless, they readily convey an endless range of subject matter terminology, concepts, principles, formulas, and other knowledge." (Dale, 1946, p. 46-47) and it's self-explanatory.

𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝘀: Charts, Graphs, Maps, Etc. (+ Diagrams, Infographics) are substitutes for literal reality.

𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼, 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: Dale placed still pictures (visual media) on the same level of abstraction as radio and recordings (auditory media). It's quite amazing, isn't it?

𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: (Videos, Animations)

Removing (or fast-forwarding) what's not important and adding (extra details to) what's important is a better idea. Uniformity in the flow of time is an essential experience in reality and content can be developed with the guideline in mind. This is what we can learn from it.

𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀: Meaningful displays with limited direct involvement intentionally designed to influence whoever perceives it.

𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘀: He said, "the main activity for field trippers is observing from the sidelines, the way it's happening." (p. 42-43) and it's observing while the things are happening on own or being done by someone else.

𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Here and onwards, starts active learning. It's how it works and/or how you do it. "Like exhibits and field trips, demonstrations may or may not include an element of participation. In some learning situations, seeing how it's done isn't much good if we can't try it for ourselves. In others, either the demonstration alone gives us what we need to know, or hands-on activity is logistically unfeasible." (p. 42)

𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: It's reconstructing situations for instructional purposes. "It's the point where learners—at least some of them—must shift from observers to participants. Dramatization of real-life experiences can help eliminate elements that mean little and distract attention, while sharpening and emphasizing those that really matter." (p. 41)

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: (Simulations, Gamification)

"Editing of reality that makes it easier to grasp. Some realities are far too much to take in all at once. Their sprawling acreage or mechanical functions would be complicated and baffling to a first-time first-hander. That's why mock-ups, working models, and simulations differ from the original in size or complexity.

Whether they cut the colossal down to comprehensible size, carve out a cross-section from a concealed interior, or control distractions competing for cognitive load, contrived experiences are imitations that teach better than the realities they imitate." (p. 40)

In today's context, it's the limit of EdTech Or any tech and it’s moving towards the next stage which is 👇🏽

𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: (Hands-On Practice)

At the base of Dale's Cone of Experience, we learn through first-hand participation with responsibility for the outcome.

"It is the rich, full-bodied experience that is the bedrock of all education. It is the purposeful experience that is seen, handled, tasted, felt, touched, smelled. It is the unabridged version of life itself—tangible experience, which we commonly refer to as something you can get your fingers on, something you can sink your teeth into etc." (p. 38) 

Read more at The Corrupted Cone of Learning

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Let’s focus on Simulations again;

Simulation, It's practising an event by doing a few subevents in a sequence which you can't do at present either because the event itself didn't occur or it'll occur in future or if the event is happening somewhere else.

It's done in a controlled environment where almost all variables can be adjusted as needed. The purpose of the simulation is to introduce people, to the steps needed to be done if they ever encounter the event in real life. 

"If learning is reaching a place, then participating in the simulation is learning how to reach there before going to the place."

Explore more: Simulation-based education involving online and on-campus models in different European universities, Teaching for Learning - Simulations

It involves Identifying 

॰ What you want/need to do but can't do because it's not happening at present or happening somewhere else.

॰ What can be done to reach as near as possible to the effects of the event in a controlled way.

॰ and then experiencing/acting it the way it should be done if it were a real event.

The best part for the education sector is, 

॰ It takes care of all the learning styles #VARK and hence a highly effective way of exchanging key learnings.

॰ It can assess learnings in real-time as the participants progress in their events.

° Yes, it has the potential to modify the behaviour permanently. It's a very good technique to improve coordination if teamwork is involved. It helps the participants understand the role by living in it. It's immersive and experiential or say, active learning happens.

Let's have some events as examples to reach as close as possible to a simulation, It can be;

1) Science experiments or discoveries

2) Natural disasters drills for an earthquake or flood

3) Training pilots to fly planes and military people for a war

4) Training doctors and medical professionals for complicated surgeries

5) Etc

It's guided by bayesian thinking, and it's very simple to participate than create the simulation. You just need to have a basic understanding of what is happening and what has to be done, and I think it's maximum we humans can immerse into virtuality.

Read more about Metaverse and Education