1. Karen DeBord
Extension Specialist, Rural Child Care
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University-Blacksburg
Creative, participatory teaching techniques are important tools of the Extension
trade. One such set of tools is simulation, games, and role playing. These
approaches have high group member involvement while facilitating meaningful
and fun learning.
Adams defines simulation as "a controlled detailed mode intended to reflect a
situation found in the real world. It is a dramatic view of life existing for the
serious purpose of learning about real experiences."1 Experiences such as
career day and mock marriages are examples. Role playing is like simulation, but
often has winners and losers. Roles are more structured and have a defined set
of participants with specific times, places, equipment, and rules. Games are like
play, but have an end or a payoff and involve suspense. Games may be played
with teams against one another or against some impersonal force.
As long as no one is forced to participate, competition can be positive and
encourage player discovery, examination, and learning.2 Often, educators will
use games as ice breakers with new groups of any age. Active strategies for
group involvement serve as warm-ups, to change people's attitudes, to speed up
the establishment of rapport, and to ease the communication flow.

2. Effectiveness Of Role Playing,Case Studies, and Simulation
Games in Teaching
Agricultural Economics
Steven C. Blank
This paper assesses the impact of introducing role playing, case studies, and
simulation games into undergraduate courses in agricultural economics. An
educational impact model isused in a qualitative evaluation of the teaching aids
and to generate hypotheses. Quantitativeexperimental results are used to test
the hypotheses. Results indicate that each aid can improvestudents' performance
when used in appropriate situations. However, there is a definite tradeoff
between student contact time requirements and the effect of these aids.Role
playing, case studies, and simulation games are three of the many teachingaids
being used by university instructorsto supplement the lecture format forteaching
(O'Connor and Osterman; Siegfried and Fels; French; Kendrick). Allthree of
these techniques are simulationswhich can be classified as learning tools(Blank,
p. 215). A simulation is an operating model which demonstrates thestructure of a
system. Simulations designed as learning tools are those that provide
participants with a new or improvedunderstanding of the system which hasbeen

3. modeled. These techniques cannotcompare with the lecture format when
theobjective is to convey large volumes of information, but they can improve the
levelof understanding concerning specificpoints (Kolb). Often techniques such
asin the Agricultural Economics Department at theUniversity of Arizona. When
this research was undertaken he was with the Agricultural
ManagementDepartment at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis
Obispo.The author thanks Brian Schmiesing and EmersonBabb for helpful
comments on an earlier draft of thispaper.these are used because the learning
process of typical students in some disciplinesnecessitates using teaching
methods thatrely less on intuition and reading and moreon sensing and factual
materials (Robertsand Lee). Yet, despite the increased useof these teaching
aids, studies of their ability to increase the effectiveness of learning have had
mixed results (Siegfried andFels).This study was developed to contributeinsight
into these issues. Presentation ofthe findings is organized into four
majorsections. First, the objectives and methodology are discussed, emphasizing
theexperimental design used. Next, a briefdescription of the three teaching aids
ispresented. Third, the analysis of experimental results for each aid is
presented.Finally, conclusions and limitations of thestudy are outlined.
The importance of learning activity centers can be found in the skills children
master through center participation. Typically, learning activity centers in a
classroom are designed with educational games or activities that teach various
reading, writing and mathematical concepts, or provide hands-on lessons that
encourage children to work independently and in teams while a teacher devotes
time to small group and independent instruction.
1. The Importance of Following Directions
o Learning activity centers help children grasp the concept of following instructions
and taking direction. Each learning activity center in a classroom has its own
specific set of instructions for what students need to accomplish during the

4. activity's allotted time. Students learn the importance of completing tasks as
directed.
The Importance of Mastering Basic
Classroom Concepts
o Most learning activity centers feature projects or activities that reinforce
instruction already covered in the classroom. Learning activity centers give
students an opportunity to take knowledge they already have and apply it in
different ways. This approach helps with comprehension and retention.
o
The Importance of Making Decisions
o Learning activity centers typically provide students with a limited number of
choices for how an activity or lesson is completed. Students learn the importance
of independent thinking, making choices individually and in group settings.
The Importance of Creative Thinking
o Learning activity centers that focus on artistic or creative endeavors teach
children the importance of challenging themselves from a creative perspective.
Students have the opportunity to see how others working in a learning activity
center approach a project, and they may opt to emulate the other student or take
a new creative approach based on their own artistic vision.
The Importance of Group Dynamics
o Students of every age participating in learning activity centers will learn the
importance of working within a group dynamic. Materials and space must be
shared, both independent and group work must be performed, and everyone is
responsible for cleaning up space when an activity is complete.
The Importance of Problem Solving
o Learning activity centers that involve more than one student are prone to all kinds
of issues such as sharing materials, following instructions and taking turns.
Learning center activities help students understand the importance of solving
problems in a group setting, either by working through disagreements on their
own or by asking for adult assistance.
The Importance of Responsibility
o Students working in learning activity centers have both an independent
responsibility to completing a task on time, as directed, as well as responsibility
for helping others complete their tasks as well. Learning activity centers
encourage students to assist one another while also completing their own work.