Session Description: Playable Case Studies (PCSs) are interactive, educational simulations where learners interact with fictional characters to complete real world project tasks in an unfolding, authentic narrative. The goal of a PCS is to provide contextualized, experiential learning opportunities that allow students to collaboratively and interactively construct understanding in ways that facilitate the transfer of 21st century skills to real world settings.
This project invited students enrolled in Span 345, Span 378, and Hist 377 (i.e., undergraduate culture and teaching methods courses) to investigate challenging cultural, historical, and social questions about the Spanish Civil War by means of a virtual simulation. During the PCS, students assumed the role of assistant museum curators tasked with organizing a digital exhibition of cultural artifacts from the war for high school Spanish students in the U.S. and Spain. In order to accomplish this, participants had to critically evaluate and interpret information from multiple perspectives, make observations about historical artifacts, “converse” with native Spanish-speaking “professionals,” and produce an online, digital exhibition in small groups. The simulation culminated in an online, digital exhibition targeted at helping middle and high school Spanish students in the United States and Spain to make connections between historical and contemporary cultural products and practices (such as propaganda from the Spanish Civil War and modern-day “fake news”). The purpose of this session is to demonstrate the motivating power of blending virtual environments with real world, project-based tasks to foster meaningful language use and cultural capacity in cognitively challenging, emotionally engaging, and socially satisfying ways. This presentation will share research findings and pedagogical materials from the project, along with key principles and low tech strategies for adapting this work to other courses. |
Session Outcomes:
1) I can describe key characteristics of effective, immersive, project-based language learning environments.
2) I can help students access historical content through culturally authentic multimedia.
3) I can use real world, 21st century tasks to motivate meaningful practice that fosters the growth of intercultural communicative competence across all three modes of communication.
1) I can describe key characteristics of effective, immersive, project-based language learning environments.
2) I can help students access historical content through culturally authentic multimedia.
3) I can use real world, 21st century tasks to motivate meaningful practice that fosters the growth of intercultural communicative competence across all three modes of communication.
PCS LoginRegistered users can log into the PCS website
|
Session HandoutContains simulation overview, job posting handout, online exhibition assignment sheet and rubric, theme development worksheet, group report form, grading checklist in English (Note: Materials were provided to students in Spanish)
|
Research on Playable Case StudiesRead research from Playable Case Study projects such as Cybersecurity, Microcore, and the Spanish Civil War Museum
|