Simulations
Simulation or Role Play?
How does a simulation differ from a role-play?
My pragmatic distinction is that a role-play involves students in decision-making while placed in historical situations simulations lack that decision-taking element. Simulations tend to be directed entirely by the teacher acting as narrator with students acting out parts and answering questions but not being faced by a series of options and making choices. Take the two 1066 activities on the site – Ian Luff’s Hastings simulation describes the battle with students taking the parts of the soldiers whereas the What happened in 1066? role-play asks students in role as Harold, William etc to take a series of decisions at key moments. That said, this isn’t a PhD thesis on types of learning activity. It’s simply a pragmatic distinction to help identify the types of activity you can use.
Detail and Complexity
The level of detail and complexity of simulations obviously differs hugely. Equipping a Roman soldier uses one student but lots of props whereas Why did the Armada fail? can involve a whole class in activity.
The Benefits of Simulation
The benefits of simulation are the same as those of role-play so if you’ve read that section, stop reading here! But, if not, here’s a summary:
- they are an effective introduction to people, names, places and a sequence of events
- they develop students’ understanding of the motives and attitudes of people in the past
- they can bring out clearly why sources might have gaps or be subjective and why interpretations differ
- they help students develop an understanding of the complexity of past situations, a much greater complexity because they are, for a lesson, taking part in the historical event.
- they stimulate effective reading, especially at A level and above
- they help students to care about the people in the past because they identify with parts they and their friends have played.
- they require a lot more concentration than standard lessons – any moment you might be put on the spot to comment or respond to a question!
All Levels and Ages
And they work at all levels, up to and including undergraduate level and can be adapted to accommodate a wide variety of demands and levels of detail. One final practical point – note-taking, particularly at A level. If you have sufficient students pairing them up, one participant and one as note-taker on behalf of the pair is a useful way of ensuring everyone has a set of notes to take away. If necessary, provide note-takers with structured guidelines for the notes.
Example Activities
Act out Egyptian ideas by turning your students into human anatomy |
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The simplest possible demonstration of the theory |
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Load a legionary with his equipment and change pupils' thinking about the lives of Roman soldiers |
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Rebellions, castle-building, changes in land ownership, Danish invasions, the Harrying of the North and William getting angry in French – c’est magnifique |
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The Battle of Hastings: Decisions on the Spur of the Moment? (Groan) |
Recreate the battle and help your students understand why the Normans won |
A brief simulation demonstrating the impact of poor harvests on villagers. Also worth using as background to the Industrial Revolution. |
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The Wars of the Roses Part 1: Rivalries and Alliances 1450 – 1455 |
An introduction to the events leading up to the first battle of St. Alban |
How certain are we that Richard III murdered the Princes in the Tower? |
A two stage activity for KS3, firstly telling the story of 1483, then exploring the evidence for the fate of the Princes. |
You play the part of Henry VII and your students are the nobles - how will they feel about bonds? |
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Tell the story of the Armada by turning your pupils into ships and develop their understanding of causation and interpretations |
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Report the big news of 1559; simulate the work of Pare and Vesalius as they struggle to save Henri II; identify key aspects of Renaissance Medicine |
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Using locality to introduce the Civil War – The Civil War in Leeds |
Your students become the people of Leeds in 1642. Will they survive the Civil War? An activity showing how to use your locality to inspire interest in the Civil War. |
Use a tin of tomatoes to help students understand Harvey's discovery |
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Recreate the journey times before and after turnpikes and revolutionise understanding |
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Why was 18th century smuggling so profitable, and so accepted? |
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Find out how Andy Harmsworth provides his students with an engaging and memorable introduction to a series of lessons on the development of surgery (Bring your own saw!) |
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Explore the difficulties Lister must have had in using the carbolic spray and perhaps discover why he faced so much opposition. Activity by Ian Luff. |
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This activity explains simply, but powerfully, why Salvarsan was effective, but risky. Activity by Ian Luff |
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Turn your classroom into a map of Europe to help students deepen their understanding of the outbreak of World War One. Activity created by Megan Underwood |
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Created by Megan Underwood, this activity shows Y9 pupils why trenches were such effective defensive structures |
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Walk your students through the map of Europe and make your decisions - then discover the grim reality |
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Arm wrestle your way to understanding the German army’s reaction to defeat |
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Can your students buy a bar of chocolate before their money runs out? |
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Ian Luff explains how to introduce students to Hitler’s rise to power and then build in complexity. |
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How did Hitler's forces reach the Channel? What was special about their tactics and what did the Allied defences get wrong? |
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Simulate the rival qualities of Spitfires and Messerschmitts and give your students more fire power in their explanations |
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Turn your class into bomb aimers to discover how difficult their task was - and why civilians were so at risk in bombing raids. |
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How safe were air raid shelters for the poor in Britain's cities? |
Ian Luff demonstrates the weaknesses of air–raid shelters and provides a documentary activity exploring the destruction of one shelter in London. |
Recreate the tensions of the search for Viet Cong to help students understand why the US army couldn’t win |
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How powerful was an atomic bomb compared with other weapons? All you need is an egg - and some egg-proofing! |
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A gloriously simple way to make your students’ understanding far more sophisticated |
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Your chance to fiddle the votes and improve your students’ understanding |