Best practice for using Schoolsims with your class

Class, home and limited lab use

If you only have a limited amount of time in the lab then this is a good way to use Schoolsims.

  1. Give a quick demo in the class or the lab using the class sim (e.g. Doyle’s Designers.) We recommend that you connect your computer to a data-show and log in to a student demo account that you get as a teacher,  so that your students see exactly what they will get when they logon.
  2. Show the students the short overview video. This will give them an idea of what the sim is about, how to log in and how to use it.
  3. Complete one of the questions on your computer so that they can see it on the data-show. You may use the video also for a quick explanation and then expand upon this with your knowledge.
  4. Click on a new question and ask them to do it on paper.  The easiest way is to print out a copy that you distribute to each of them.
  5. If you are in a class, complete the next question in a similar way.
  6. When you are ready to use the sim in the lab, the students will be familiar with the content and the screens. They can use the class sim (e.g. Doyle’s Designers) for practice and this has an infinite set of numbers.
  7. Read the section below on how to use it well if you have full access to computers.

Class, home and full lab use

If you have  full access to labs or computers then this is a good way to use Schoolsims.

  1. Give a quick demo in the class or the lab using the class sim (e.g. Doyle’s Designers.) We recommend that you connect your computer to a data-show and log in to a student demo account that you get as a teacher,  so that your students see exactly what they will get when they logon.
  2. Show the students the short overview video. This will give them an idea of what the sim is about, how to log in and how to use it.
  3. Complete one of the questions on your computer so that they can see it on the data-show. You may use the video also for a quick explanation and then expand upon this with your knowledge.
  4. Click on a new question and ask them to do it on paper.  The easiest way is to print out a copy that you distribute to each of them.
  5. Then you can tell them the questions that you would like them to do and ask them to keep going.  You may wish to let the students pace themselves and if they have ear-phones they can look at the videos to help them.
  6. You can monitor their progress, their answers and the model answers on your teacher version of the sim and go and help those who cannot get the answers right or who are moving too slowly. You can focus your attention on where it makes the biggest difference.
  7. It is often a good idea to let them work in pairs. Then it becomes a game and they can work out many problems between them saving you even more time.
  8. Students can also use the sims from their home or the lab as a part of homework after school if it is installed and they can use the same login information.
  9. You can ask them to complete a given number of questions for homework and you can check what they have done before the next period and focus your teaching on those questions that have not been done well and those students having problems.