Teaching with PSI Sims^™

The PSI Sim™ environment was designed to be flexible enough to use in any classroom. Ideally, the PSI Sim™ is a "Personal Study Instrument" or PSI Tool that an individual student can use to investigate a science concept. To do this, of course, requires the use of a computer for every one or two students. Even in such an environment, teachers have found it beneficial to discuss the operation of the PSI Sim™ with the students before they begin their inquiry.

Student-Centered Mode

The PSI Sim™ is essentially a 1-2-3 learning experience. First the student clicks on the Challenge, which sets up the inquiry. Once the student understands the goal of the lesson, s/he clicks on the Methods button.

The Methods section contains background information, usually in the form of a Field Notes slide show designed to provide content. Teachers should remind students that the Field Notes contain valuable information that may be required to complete the investigation. Occasionally, the Methods section also includes a video of a "real" experiment that corresponds to the virtual simulation. Our research shows that students who use PSI Sims™ before doing the comparable real-world experiment complete the experiment more efficiently. Also in the Methods section, the student can find the Collecting Data and Reporting button. Clicking this button opens an online version of the Collecting Data Sheet. This sheet is often an abbreviated form of the larger Printable Data Collection Sheet that is available by clicking on the Print button at the top of the online version. NOTE: This represents a teacher preference. Some teachers ask students to keep their own data in their note books using the online Collecting Data Sheet window. Others print out the (often more robust) Printable Data Collection Sheet , and pass it out to the class for the students to complete. The Methods section also contains a Simulation Walkthrough and an About the Graphing Feature section.

The Simulation Walkthrough is a video that shows the student how to interact with the simulation. It does NOT teach the science, just how to use the simulation. Teachers sometimes walk through the simulation with the students before the students interact with it. We believe that it is better to use the video walkthrough to do this, rather than completing the simulation with the students. In other words, students shouldn't be "copying" the actions of the teacher, they should be engaging in their own inquiry.

If the simulation has a graphing function, and plots points as the experiment proceeds, the Methods section includes an About the Graphing Feature section that explains the functioning of the graphing feature. Again, this section explains the tool, not the science.

After completing the Challenge and Methods sections, the student is ready to begin the simulation. Clicking on the Simulation reveals an interactive scenario, designed to stimulate inquiry into the concept being studied. The Simulation often, but not always, addresses misconceptions and controlling variables in a scientific experiment. Students interact to help them understand how manipulating variables affects outcomes, or to help them understand processes and relationships.

Direct Instruction Mode

Unfortunately, not every science classroom is equipped with a classroom set of computers. In this case, the teacher can use the PSI Sim™ in direct instruction mode. The components of the PSI Sim™ can be used effectively by using much the same progression discussed above. In cases where students will also do the comparable "real" experiment, the PSI Sim™ can help students understand the procedures involved. In such cases, performing the virtual experiment first often adds efficiency to the set-up of the real experiment.

Finally, the PSI Sim™ can be used to "set-up" another experiment. Since the simulation does not provide "answers", teachers can use the simulation to pose "What-If" questions that students can investigate on their own.