ADVANTAGES OF SIMULATED TEACHING

The use of simulation technique in teaching instruction at different levels has some advantages which may be described as below:

• Simulation motivates and involves student teachers.
• It can be enjoyable, realistic and helpful. The activities involved in simulation divorce from conventional routing of the class-room learning and thus introduce and elements of novelty in the whole learning process.
• It forms a valuable element in the practical professional work of student teachers.
• If forgets close links between theory and practice.
• Students are given intensive focused opportunities to study and analyse critical teaching problems that may not recur in other pre-school activities.
• Possibilities are also opened up for class-room teachers to analyse their own class-room behavior. Simulations are self-monitoring. Participants recognize own progress by various feedback methods.
• Personal tensions in the teaching situation are likely to be reduced by the process of self- monitoring.

PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS

A few problems are;

(i) Deciding the amount of preparation:

(ii) Student's attitude and reaction;

(iii) Selection of teaching material; and so on.

The limiting factors of simulation are that its use cannot be made in all subjects of the curriculum. It cannot be conveniently used in case of small children. It requires a lot of preparation on the part of teachers. Moreover, we cannot afford the use of costly, sophisticated audio-visual materials. It also reduces the seriousness of learning.

In the end, we can say that teaching problem chosen for attention should be related to some established principles wherever possible. This will help us in adding to our information the experience gained from the practical use of the technique. Of course, this experience will help the teachers in solving specific problems in isolation. Let us give Simulation or simulated teaching a fair trial.