![]() People learn (academic or non-academic) specialist languages and their concomitant ways of thinking best when they can tie the words and structures of those languages to experiences they have had-experiences with which they can build simulations to prepare themselves for action in the domains in which the specialist language is used (e.g. ![]() Gee observes that situated meaning provides an ideal environment for learning because As a pedagogical technique, simulations have the advantage of providing what James Gee calls situated meaning-the association of verbal instruction with “images, actions, experiences, or dialogue in a real or imagined world” that enrich learning (Gee 2007, 105). Advocates for simulation pedagogies tout their potential to motivate students, foster deep learning, achieve learning objectives, enable student-centered learning, and bridge disciplinary gaps (Hertel and Millis 2002, 1-14). Simulations are simplified models of reality intended to teach specific learning objectives (Hertel and Millis 2002, 17). They also raise some interesting questions about the relationship between pedagogy, critical thinking, and social change. The results suggest critical simulation is a promising technique that complements traditional forms of instruction and has much to offer instructors interested in promoting critical thinking, regardless of discipline. I evaluated my hypothesis by interrogating the finished products and analyzing debriefing surveys conducted at the end of the semester. ![]() My hypothesis was that by turning students into active producers of utopia via a critical simulation they would be in a better position to meet course objectives, namely to learn the conventions of utopian discourse and to adopt a critical utopian frame for evaluating utopian texts and real-world phenomena. Throughout this process, students engaged course texts both as resources for invention and as artifacts for critical evaluation. They then used this material to assemble brochures, which they presented to the class at the end of the semester. In the course, I assigned students to work in groups to design a multimedia brochure for an intentional community (i.e., a planned residential community that is a social experiment in utopian living).ĭuring the semester, students worked in groups to draft pieces of the project in response to in-class “challenge” assignments that asked them to devise solutions to social, political, economic, and environmental problems. In order to model critical simulation pedagogy for post-secondary education, I describe one instance of this technique that occurred in an elective course on utopian literature I taught at the Borough of Manhattan Community College of The City University of New York, a bustling community college in downtown Manhattan with a majority African-American and Hispanic working-class student population. I theorize this technique in comparison to standard simulation pedagogies and point out some examples of existing simulations and games that achieve similar results. This essay describes an experiment with critical simulation-the pedagogical application of simulation to foster critical thinking. And when Humanity lands there, it looks out, and, seeing a better country, sets sail. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy Notice.Francesco Crocco, Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeĪ map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie Preferences, as described in the Cookie Notice. Click ‘Customise Cookies’ to decline these cookies, make more detailed choices, or learn more. Third parties use cookies for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalised ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. This includes using first- and third-party cookies, which store or access standard device information such as a unique identifier. If you agree, we’ll also use cookies to complement your shopping experience across the Amazon stores as described in our Cookie Notice. We also use these cookies to understand how customers use our services (for example, by measuring site visits) so we can make improvements. ![]() We use cookies and similar tools that are necessary to enable you to make purchases, to enhance your shopping experiences and to provide our services, as detailed in our Cookie Notice. ![]()
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