A predictable world

.....why would you ever choose it?

 

Key Beliefs

 

 

 

 

Key Beliefs

 

Key Beliefs

Key Beliefs

Unpredictability as the key element of a rich experiential world.
Imagine how the zest for life and new ideas would fizzle out without this key element!

The reality is that we humans are unpredictable implementers of ideas and systems.
Do we try to manage chaos? What does this mean for generic skill development and work-world competency?

Role-play is a learning strategy that can fully recreate a complex social dynamic where the players must negotiate their solutions – other than being placed in a real world environment where there may be no chance of mentoring, common problem-solving goals or debriefing. In short, role-play enables educationalists to set up a rehearsal for later real-world practitioner contexts. In another frame, role-play is an intense laboratory dealing with who we are right now and how we negotiate solutions.

The power of a web-based role-play compared to face-to-face role-play is that it does not have the time/sessional boundaries of f2f role-play but is run over several weeks. The extended timeframe of virtual communities more closely recreates the complexities of real-life negotiations and changing agendas over time and between meetings where not all players are cognisant of all the discussions or new agendas.

This immersion and co-creation of the community and the solutions is a relational experience and as such is a dynamic model of learning rather than a distanced critical analysis.

The findings of neuroscience support learning which engages both the emotional and cognitive domains simultaneously. Learning is a whole person/whole brain activity. The cortex (centre of thinking) is synaptically tied to the limbic system (emotions).

Role-play finds its place within constructivist learning theory. Constructivism relies on cognitive disequilibrium as the learners construct their meanings in an ill-defined scenario, and in the process must reconstruct their existing schema or mental models.
Role-play allows each participant to make their own decisions based on their values and research, and also to be confronted with negative responses from others - and negative outcomes in terms of their goals, just as in any work-world reality.

Dealing with such unpredictable responses is the fulcrum of learning and somehow overshadows terms such as 'soft skill development'. The structure and nature of web-based role-play simulations (as opposed to computer-based simulations) are not bounded by preset rules. The learning of web-based role-play is created by the participants and they must accept responsibility for what, how and where they lead themselves - as in the real world.

What some role-play participants said in
debriefing....

Message no. 445 posted by Liz (s000101) on Thu Sep 12, 2002 08:54
Subject: Difficult feelings
Maybe Amy came across as a bit of a prig? Still, I wasn't prepared for how
I was going to feel about some of the responses to her!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Take me to more!

Role-play as a complex social dynamic:

a subculture takes off

Subject: have another slice ...
Date: 8/28/02 4:09:26 PM
By: Sergei Polotov
:
Wow, 2 dinner guests, ive struck it big tonight :)

yes I think your idea of priorities is good ------

yum...all this talk is getting me thirst...care for a large red with that pizza Kristine?

Simmo?

wait on.....who's that across the street...

Find out what Sergei's priorities were..and more!

 

 

Log in to
Needle Stick

See who was there and...

.....the alliances they formed

.......the solutions they settled on

 

 

Take me to Needle Stick

Click the graphic to download MS Word doc