Simulation

Since 1980s, scientists has been using computer simulations to explore the behaviour of new aircraft designs in flight, the formation of our galaxies after the Big Bang, and other. Computer simulation has become very powerful by the 1980s that some people were actually thought that it is the three form of science that standing between the theory and experiment (Waldrop, 1992).

          From Alessi and Trollip (1991, 119), two types of simulation are identified and from these two types of it, it is categorized into more categories, which are:

1.      Physical simulation

·        Offer learners the opportunities to manipulate objects or phenomena that are represented on the screen.

2.      Process simulation

·        Speed up or slow down the process that usually take very long period or happen in a fast paces so that the learners can observe it in a better view. This is because normally these types of processes are unable to be observed naturally in the real life.

3.      Procedural simulation

·        Teach the appropriate sequences of steps that used to perform in an experiment or procedures.

4.      Situational simulation

·        Present the learners with varied situations and ask them to devise action to solve the problem that occurred in the situation presented.

Simulation can be used to do a lots of things such as visualize the invisible, manipulating the variables, observe the results, draw conclusion from the result, use as a gaming approaches, facilitate role playing, involve multiple participants and lastly mimics the real world situations.

Simulation has a lot of advantages if being used in the schools for teaching and learning process. As simulation is a very interactive tool, it can attract the students’ interest and motivates them to engage in the simulation. Students can enhance their available knowledge with the experiments in simulation. Plus, students can save a lot of time when doing some activities with simulation such as doing an experiment. Thus, the students can do their experiment more efficiently and they can spare out the extra time to analyses the result and do the discussion.

Besides that, teacher does not need to worry about the safety of the students when using simulation to do some research or experiment with volatile substances or other dangerous experiment compared to doing it in the real world. Students also receive better transfer of knowledge if using simulation as they can visualize the content they are studied. If they don’t understand, then they can repeat the process again endlessly until they understand it and all the repeating process only need a very short time compared to real world procedures or experiment where the students need to set up the tools all over again.

          Moreover, simulation normally better to be do in a group. This actually can instil the value of cooperation and teamwork in the students mind. Simulation also very useful as it helps to making the impossible things such as seeing the movement of ions to be the possible one. This actually can be considers the most powerful features that simulation has posses.    

          Hence, it is clear that simulation can help the teaching and learning process to be a better one and it is recommend that this type of ICT tool should be used in all schools in Malaysia.