For many Ohlone Elementary School students, the first day of historical simulation was the highlight of the year. The children showed off their homemade costumes, and parent volunteers led them through various activities. School grounds will be suspended for one week for participating grades. This was the culmination of months of preparation.
Why did Mr. Ohlone take this effort instead of teaching history in traditional ways? The school's unique approach builds students' critical thinking skills and develops their collaboration and problem-solving abilities. It derives from the philosophy of project-based learning, which aims to improve.
According to Otaku Jump, a former Auron teacher who was heavily involved in past simulations, Auron's philosophy is to teach students real-world skills.Allow students to participate in what they are learning on a more intimate level.
“If you can’t get your students excited about participating in the activity, you can teach them all the preliminary basics. [but] They can't escape seeking experience,'' Jump said. “That's kind of the key element of the simulation.”
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Research by Dimitrios Brakopoulos and Agorica Macri from European UniversityThe Cyprus city noted that simulation and game-based learning have a positive effect on knowledge acquisition, helping students understand concepts more deeply and demonstrate critical thinking skills in the process.
From the school's founding to the COVID-19 pandemic, simulation was deeply integrated into Ohlone's curriculum. Before being suspended, he had two simulations a year for a total of four.
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“If you can’t get your students excited about participating in the activity, you can teach them all the preliminary basics. [but] They can't escape from seeking experience. ”
— Former Ohlone Elementary School teacher, Otaku Jump
Two one-day simulations focused on Old Palo Alto and Ohlone American Indians for second and third grade students. The fourth grader and her fifth grader had two three-day simulations, one centered on the California Gold Rush and the other on the American Revolution.
“They are [the simulations] “There was a three-day story and a story arc… It was a simulation where the kids went back in time and went through a series of events that built on each other,” said Jennifer Golds, Oron's former parent. “They might start by working to get to the New World, and then figure out how to make a living and how to build a town there.”
Now, an activity called Trades Day has replaced the entire simulation-based curriculum. In this new activity, students move from room to room practicing different colonial disciplines, from baking to sewing. Although it is hands-on, the immersive element of the simulation will be lost, said Rowena Chiu, president of the Ohlone Parent-Teacher Association.
“I think Trades Day is a compromise solution, a format that replaces the full simulation experience,” Chiu said. “[But] I don't think it's as complete as the old Ohlone simulations. ”
Palo Alto History was notable for its experimental methods of teaching history. In the '60s, former Palo Alto High School teacher Ron Jones conducted the infamous Third Wave Experiment at the now-closed Cubberley High School. With this experiment, Jones aimed to explain how Hitler was able to achieve fame by mimicking the conditions of life under a totalitarian dictatorship.
Similar to Third Wave experiments, Auron's simulations were intended to help students gain a deeper understanding of history by experiencing it firsthand.
Ohron hasn't conducted any new simulations since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Chiu said they may have avoided the more controversial aspects of the simulation.
“Schools need to think long and hard about their simulation methods and reconsider how they represent only a certain part of the people who lived in this region, and how simulations…do not represent a diverse history. “I think there was one in the Bay Area,” Chiu said.
Some say the simulation veers into the realm of cultural appropriation. According to the National Museum of the American Indian, events in which schools “dress up” students as American Indians, such as the Ohlone American Indian simulation, “suggest that Native cultures existed only in the past.” That's what it means.
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I would love to see it [the simulations] come back.
— Jennifer Golds, former Ohlone Elementary School parent
However, Paley junior and former Ohlone student Katie Bradley said she believes there were more positives than negatives in the simulation.
“I understand why people don't like them [simulations]” Bradley said. “I loved them. Let's play with friends and experience what it's like [back then]”
Sumaran Narayanan, a Paley sophomore and former Ohlone student, remembers participating in Ohlone's American Indian simulation in third grade.
“I think both. [traditional education and simulations] While there are benefits, simulations are more engaging and help students learn more about everyday life in a historical context,” Narayanan said. “They are [simulations] I think I could have covered more ground since it focused on activities rather than focusing on historical events. [historical] side. “
It is unclear whether the simulation will return to Ohlone, but it remains a fond memory for many in the Ohlone community. Some, like Mr. Golds, hope that simulation can make a comeback in the future.
“I think so [removing the simulations] I’m disappointed because I chose Ohlone for my children because I was a real supporter of these alternative methods of education,” Ms. Golds said. “I would love to meet them.” [the simulations] come back. ”
Otaku Jump website by a former Ohlone teacher explaining the simulation:
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