USING SIMULATIONS FOR ACTIVE LEARNING: THE QUERY-FIRST METHOD IN PRACTICE

摘要

Although simulations are designed to make students active learners, simply presenting a simulation as a demonstration in class may lead students to be passive observers rather than active participants. One way to engage students is to ask them to anticipate the outcome of a simulation before seeing the simulation. We call this approach the "query-first method." This query-first method has been incorporated into the design of the simulations on the website "Online Statistics Education: An Interactive Multimedia Course of Study." Although this website can be used as a stand-alone resource, we have found the query-first method with its simulations is also a powerful learning tool in the classroom. In this paper, we describe examples of how the query-first method has been incorporated into lectures, students' reactions to the method, and alternate ways this method could be used in the classroom.