Innovation Profile 063

'What if?' is a personal question

'What if' is a very powerful technique for learning. But if you ask a class of children to pose 'What if?' questions about a topic they are very unlikely to all ask the same question. We all have different interests.

This makes 'What if?' approaches a challenge for teachers. Pupils need to explore answers individually. Fortunately some educational software companies have 20 years of experience in enabling this, through simulations, animations and well structured information.

Sherston (http://www.sherston.com) have been producing software for primary age learners since the early 1980s. Their current range contains a number of excellent examples of software that can be used to explore 'What if?' questions.

  • In 'Badger Trail' the learner plays the part of a badger trying to find its way home, encountering diffiulties along the way.
  • 'Bodywise' allows exploration of the different parts and functions of the human body, with animations.
  • 'Map Detectives' uses a game to introduce a variety of map-reading skills.
  • 'Model Shop' encourages use of simulations, graphical models and spreadsheets.
  • 'Science Fair' lets children independently explore science concepts in a fairgound, introducing science vocabulary and stimulating discussion.

'What if' questions link play and learning. Pushing at boundaries appears to be a very fundamental part of human nature; we are a very inquisitive species. The job of educators must be to stimulate and use this inquisitiveness to generate more learning. Good teachers delicately lead pupils to formalise what they learn and to create knowledge links, without destroying the joy of exploration and play.

Computers are penetrating ever faster into homes but good educational software of this kind is doing so very much more slowly. There are several reasons for this but the problems are not insoluble.

Think how much more time children could spend doing 'What if' explorations, and how much more they could learn, if schools arranged for their pupils to be able to access such software from home. And imagine how the teacher's use of class time will also need to change.

The Sherston Company Profile on our web site will give you an overview of the company.

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If you know of examples of innovative use of ICT-for-learning that others would be interested in, please email innovations@eep-edu.org

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