In the modern American politics classroom, ideological and partisan conflict have the capacity to interfere with a healthy classroom environment. This problem is increasingly apparent when students engage questions at the heart of U.S. Constitutional design. By asking students to inhabit fictional roles with preferences and attitudes that may…

Open classroom climate for discussion (OCC) is consistently associated with positive civic outcomes for students, but research on the determinants of OCC primarily focuses on individual- and school-level indicators or uses qualitative or non-representative samples. This study considers how teacher instructional practices influence the presence of…

Educators, including English Language Teaching practitioners, acknowledge the influence of collaborative learning on students' learning experiences, as demonstrated by numerous studies conducted in diverse contexts. This research, however, keeping instructional innovation, students' collaborative engagement, language learning and classroom…

In this article, we focus on the contributions that a simulated jury-based activity might have for pre-service teachers, especially for their active participation and learning in teacher education. We observed a teacher educator using a series of simulated juries as teaching resources to help pre-service teachers develop their pedagogical…

Educators advocate that science education can help the development of more responsible worldviews when students learn not only scientific concepts, but also about science, or "nature of science". Cosmology can help the formation of worldviews because this topic is embedded in socio-cultural and religious issues. Indeed, during the Cold…

This paper aims to suggest pragmatic instructions for conducting an English course that focuses on speaking and listening skills through using drama as a language teaching activity. Recent research on drama in the ESL/EFL classroom has been about the benefits of drama and methods one can use, but research on techniques, activities, and methodology…

Using a framework of cognitive, social, and teaching presence, the nature of learning experiences in a three-dimensional virtual world environment (Second Life) and a text-chat learning environment without visuals (TeachNet) were investigated. A mixed method of code frequencies, coherence graphs, interviews, and a survey was used. The results…

This article presents a qualitative case study that uses discourse and social semiotic analysis methods in order to examine the rhetorical construction of fictional personas within an online role play used for learning in the college classroom. Of special focus are the differing patterns of semiotic resource use (for example, language and…

In this article the author introduces the roles he created for two phases of a simulation on language planning in Malaysia. The first phase is a radio call-in show. This is followed by a debate before a panel of arbiters concerning a recent dispute related to English language teaching in Malaysian schools. The final phase involves debriefing (for…

Describes exercises that can uncover the assumptions underlying educational practice: (1) scenario analysis; (2) critical debate; (3) simulations of crisis decisions; (4) identifying heroes and villains; and (5) analysis of critical incidents. (SK)

Outlines a model United Nations simulation which is applicable for high school or college use. It is played under the rules of an organization called the Model United Nations of the Far West, an association of 100 colleges in the western U.S. The simulation involves weekly mock sessions. (AV)

Describes the "Running for Elected Office" simulation that enables undergraduates to gain knowledge of the campaign process. Students assume the roles of candidates, staffers, or journalists undertaking a ten-week campaign. Discusses the general structure of weekly events, special events, student evaluation of the simulation, problems, and the…

Presents a lesson plan to teach students about the events leading to the U.S. entry into World War I. Explains that the students pretend to be U.S. senators and debate whether the United States should enter the war. Includes handouts for use with this lesson. (CMK)

Describes two classroom activities that introduce critical-thinking skills into social studies instruction. One is a debate, followed by position papers, on the contribution of Christopher Columbus. The other is a simulation of a Constitutional Amendment conference. Discusses which parts of the lessons specifically focus on critical-thinking…

Describes three methods of active learning for an undergraduate history class: (1) debates over differing historical interpretations; (2) demonstrations of change and continuity between past and present in an historical issue; and (3) simulations of real or imaginary events. Includes instructions, evaluation information, and a course description.…