Educational games can be very helpful in providing "guided practice for a variety of situations" (Bradley & Kendall, 2014). Utilizing student interests, such as video games, can help them make connections with the subject matter faster and easier. Simulators are meant to be a supplementary "skill-building lesson" for those needing a bit more than a teacher talking at them; these are meant to immerse students in the topic being taught (Bradley & Kendall, 2014). In recent years, there have been so many options for online games that can extend student learning.
Implementation:
Over the last month or so, my class has been discussing the topic of budgeting and understanding how needs and wants factor into how we spend money. I have incorporated this into our health lessons, as money and budgeting are life skills that everyone needs to have! We have played all sorts of games, including the Game of Life, to experiment on different ways money should be spent with zero risk. The game linked below is not the exact one we played, as I stumbled upon it and cannot find it, but it is very similar, and I would play this with my students in future years. SPENT gives a very realistic perspective on life and what money is spent on. Each time you play can be extremely different based on the choices you make.
Either this game or a similar game would not be played until students had an understanding of needs and wants. I started with short readings and hypothetical situations for them to practice with, and then we moved on to more complex ideas that involved figuring out if things were worth spending money on. This is when we played the Game of Life, and they found out about unexpected emergencies and differences in people's salaries.
Purpose/Goals:
As this challenge is being completed, students will be learning new things and learning the reasons as to why we are seeing a difference in the lifestyles of those with extra money and those living paycheck to paycheck. Playing a game like this is meant to help bring awareness of money to students, and the goal is that they can make the money given to them in the simulator last as long as possible.
Scaffolding:
Games like this are typically done as a class due to the large amount of reading and unknown words. My students all have lower reading levels, which means that when completing activities like this, it is easier for everyone if it is done as a whole group. Currently, my students are pretty good about taking turns answering questions when doing games like these, but I always have name sticks on hand that I can use to create an order for answering one at a time.
Assessing:
To assess how well my students do on this activity will be to see how far they can get their money to last. The first try may not be the best, but as we try the other job opportunities, my students should be able to make more informed decisions and get a little further each time. If they are not able to get their money to last longer, then I will have them use critical thinking skills to make educated guesses as to what choices made the money disappear faster! The game will automatically stop you when you spend all your money, but does allow loans to build up. In this simulator, students even have to buy groceries and decide what bills should be paid! There are a few opportunities to gain extra money, but you can only use each tool once, like giving plasma. 
Overall, this is a great way to simulate the life of someone in poverty. It challenges the thinking of students, as some may be able to relate to some of the ideas, and others may not have any experience living with a lack of money. A teacher can use this as an economic tool, and a social-emotional tool as well.
Bradley, E. G., & Kendall, B. (2014). A Review of Computer Simulations in Teacher Education.
Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 43(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.2190/et.43.1.b
Elisabeth,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool simulation! I love that it is teaching cause and effect while gaining real and valuable life lessons. I think this can be used for a wide range of ages depending on the level of scaffolding and support. It's great to give students exposure to real life topics at a young age. It can also assist with explaining how certain actions have consequences to engage students in critical thinking. While I was playing, I was amazed by how many scenarios were brought up and how one small decision can impact a lot. Very deep! Thanks for sharing, great find!