Simulated learning is hardly a new fad. It has a long history in education. Indeed, at one time, it was a primary means of learning. Much of childhoold "play" depends upon simulation of adult occupations and activities. That was followed by apprenticeship programs in many cases which again exposed children directly to the skills they needed to learn. As classroom education become more divorced from the real world, educators again used simulated learning in vocational education, and students "pretended" to run businesses, or in some cases did run them. Now, there is an overall aim towards real, authentic learning. Teachers maintain portfolios, and students are asked to accomplish genuine tasks which require the skills they have been learning.
Goodman and other whole-language proponents have advocated the benefits of creating reading situations which are genuine in order to stimulate and cultivate reading interest and literacy. As a result, children are reading whole texts which interest them, and they spend less time with more artificial basal-driven tasks. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, in creating the new Math standards, have also encouraged teachers to engage students in situations which require genuine problem-solving skills and which enhance students' abilities to think mathematically and logically.
Other educators have also provided good arguments for simulated, real-time learning such as that available from Internet sources. The author of Smart Schools urges teachers to give students tasks which tap into their prior learning and which cause them to think. He makes a powerful case that much school learning does not "stick" because the child does not see it as relevant and, consciously or unconsciously, fails to commit the learning to long-term memory. Projects such as the EUN provide teachers with challenging but interesting jobs, based on actual situations and using genuine information.
Similarly, William Glasser's theories discuss the importance of having school be in children's "quality worlds." He points out that most children arrive in school wanting to like it because their parents (who are in their quality worlds) have told them school is good. But, as time passes, school becomes less satisfying to some children. Once school is no longer in a child's "quality world," Glasser states that he will work very little at school tasks. Most teachers recognize this problem only too well. More often than not, the low achiever "will not" rather than "cannot." If projects such as the EUN help draw school back into the child's "quality world," there is an opportunity for more learning.
Hugh Barr (1994) urges social studies teachers to use e-mail to stimulate cultural awareness in children. He too discusses the benefits of direct and purposeful experience as a learning method. Barr also mentions that e-mail provides a real link which is relatively easy to establish and much simpler and less expensive than travel, which admittedly would be a better way to learn about foreign cultures.
This simulation is intended to accomplish several objectives. Some are computer-based; others are far more global. Computer-based objectives include the following:
Since students participate in the EUN as members of "nation classrooms," one of the first learning opportunities is the creation of the country. Students decide whether to be democracies, oligarchies, monarchies, republics, etc. They can change government types if they (or the teacher) wish. They also experiment with economic issues since the nation must have a currency, and teachers can utilize the concept of paying for services as part of a classroom management program if they so desire.
With the use of the EUN, teachers continue the learning opportunities which began with the establishment of their nation. They will have an opportunity each month to engage their students in studying a topic generally drawn from either the Sciences or the Social Studies. There will be some suggested resources--some on the Internet, others available in more conventional formats--such as encyclopedias, almanacs, etc. Students would first study the topic, then they would be asked to debate the issue in their classroom and decide what sort of action their classroom country advocates. As is the case with the U.N. itself, classroom nations would need to appropriate "funds" to pursue their policy, and they would cast a vote for their policy decision. (See WWB information regarding the cycle followed in studying topics.)
Since the EUN is made up of member classroom nations, events which are really happening in the world can provide the basis very frequently for monthly topics. Students will have the opportunity to learn about issues which are real. They will be asked to make decisions, not merely discuss these issues. As a result, they must become more involved, and, most importantly, they will have the chance to communicate with kids from other classrooms who may or may not agree with their opinions. As the kids go through the monthly cycle, they will do research, they will write position papers, they will share their information with other students, they will debate issues orally, they will cast votes (in republics, democracies, or limited monarchies), and they will learn far more about "current events" and care more as well.
Since our republic needs the participation of interested, informed citizens, the EUN is an excellent exercise of citizenship.
