Including simulations in your educational leadership program will allow aspiring leaders to practice dealing with challenging scenarios in a safe space. Simulations can be used in group meetings, asynchronously, or both. Simulations are proven to improve judgment and decision-making so that when aspiring leaders become sitting leaders, they are ready for the challenges of the job.
Aspiring school leaders need experiences to tap into when facing difficult situations. SchoolSims helps to manufacture relevant experiences using relatable scenarios in a “choose-your-own-adventure” format. Simulations help current and future school leaders appreciate the complexities of their future responsibilities. Simulations can be used during synchronous sessions, whether in-person or virtual and also asynchronously.
1. Simulations help Educational Leadership Programs to provide students with the conceptual tools and professional preparation to become accomplished school leaders. Add simulations to your current curriculum and create synchronous and asynchronous experiential learning opportunities for future school leaders.
Simulations aid in the development of leadership skills, the reduction of isolation, and the improvement of student achievement in their buildings. More information about how simulations can benefit your school can be found below:
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Each simulation is developed in partnership with a school district, college/university, or school support entity. We ensure that the topics covered by the SchoolSims’ Simulation Library relate to many of the issues facing the schools of your enrolled students. We add 5-7 new simulations each year and also refresh existing simulations so that they stay current. By incorporating simulations into your existing curriculum – either facilitated in groups or deployed asynchronously – participants gain practice and begin to develop the essential muscle memory to make the best decisions in real life.
SchoolSims are designed to align with PSEL (Professional Standards for Educational) standards. Because simulations immerse participants in school-based scenarios like those that occur in real-life, they provide an opportunity to practice evaluating context and applying the appropriate standards in a risk-free environment.
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SchoolSims will help you select the appropriate titles for each course or topic. You can then utilize the simulations synchronously, asynchronously, or in a blended fashion.
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SchoolSims simulations are an excellent resource for educational leadership programs for aspiring school leaders.
SchoolSims will provide training on our simulation library, how and when to use the simulations, how to facilitate synchronous sessions, and what simulations fit into which educational leadership courses. You (and your team) will attend a one-hour session on how to facilitate simulations with a leader in the educational leadership space.
The simulations can be purchased by the program or department. We also have a student pay model, which is like buying a textbook, but cheaper.
“The simulations allow students to apply what they have learned in administrative coursework to what they will undoubtedly experience on the job. “Simulations fill the gap between what was learned in the classroom and handling situations on the job that require high-quality decisionmaking, i.e. judgment.”
“I have included SchoolSims educational simulations to support graduate instruction in several different principal and superintendent preparation programs. School leaders were surveyed after participating in four or more educational simulations. We found a unanimously positive perception from participants regarding their preparedness for leadership. Overall, the school leaders reported increased confidence to handle real-life situations after engaging in the simulations and a deeper perspective to think critically about issues they will be presented with in the field.”
Listen to The Group Project Podcast with Dr. Jared Smith to hear Dr. De Jong speak more about the power that simulations bring to ed leadership programs.
“Having used simulations for a few years in my college teaching, my students consistently praise the opportunity to have done so. They view the simulations experiences as valuable additions to the course content, providing them with actual opportunities to apply their content understanding to real-world situations. When done synchronously, they have especially appreciated the opportunity to work with others in small groups, indicating how much their thinking on difficult decisions was positively influenced by hearing the points of view of others prior to making that decision. As they say, ‘it is much better to have had this opportunity in our classroom environment than facing that problem on the job for the first time.’”