PhET’s simulations range from science (where they have different sections for Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Biology) to math, with intentions to help students with concepts relating from middle school to university-level physics. These simulations are perfect for creating an environment in the classroom where students feel responsible for their own learning and can truly engage themselves in a topic. This beats a traditional classroom setup of a teacher telling students information as-is, and having students memorize the information and regurgitate it back without truly understanding it. Instead, students encounter a simulation without much background knowledge, and begin to tinker with the different options until they find one that works. After that, students can work on increasingly difficult simulations, up until they have a firm grasp of the topic at hand. PhET simulations are a great resource to have in order to further student learning and have some fun in the classroom!
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Hey Michael,
ReplyDeleteI have actually used these PhET Simulations before, and they are extremely helpful for learning new concepts. I love how the simulations offer different difficulty levels because it allows students to teach themselves and experiment at a pace that’s comfortable to them. I also like that they can have fun with it because it’s such a low-stress environment. It then allows teachers to answer any resulting questions, and they can teach these students while they have some sort of prior knowledge.
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