By Ryan Hill and Elisa Collard (Primary Education Graduates)
When you start university, you expect lectures and seminars. But at Northumbria University, there are lots of other learning opportunities you might not know about. One of those is simulated learning, also known as simulations.
Ellie and Ryan studied Primary Education at Northumbria University, where simulations played a big part in their degree. They also worked with the university to help develop learning simulations for other students.
We caught up with them now they’re full-time primary school teachers, to learn more about simulated learning, and how it helped them get ready for their careers.
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Simulated learning is a way of practising real-world situations. Your tutors (often trained professionals in the industry) create realistic scenarios you could experience in your future career, so you can practise how to deal with them.
Instead of just learning about things that might happen at work, you get to experience them first-hand.
This hands-on approach lets you deepen your knowledge and develop your professional skills in a supportive environment. You’ll be guided by tutors you already know and learn alongside fellow students, growing together in a safe space.
‘There’s a real buzz after a simulation,’ says Ellie. ‘You walk out of the room and you feel the atmosphere. People saying it was amazing. Or that they were nervous at first, but got into it. People reflecting on what they might do differently. It’s really engaging.’
Simulated learning will look different depending on your chosen course. At Northumbria University, lots of subjects use simulations, including health and social care, primary education, business, law, and more.
Depending on what you’re studying, you might be practising patient care, chairing a serious case review meeting, making a legal argument as a solicitor, or handling a tricky situation with a pupil.
To make your experience as realistic as possible, Northumbria University has a number of professional settings on campus, including a clinical skills centre, primary school, courtroom, and board rooms, just like you’d find in the real world. There’s even a crime scene house!
For Ellie and Ryan, one of the most memorable simulations in their teaching degree was a multi-agency meeting.
This involved trainee teachers, social workers, and healthcare students working together on a simulated case to help a vulnerable pupil, just like they would in real life. Each set of students used their specialist knowledge to help tackle the problem.
They also enjoyed simulations with their fellow teaching students, including one where they had to deal with an angry parent, and another where they had to welcome a new pupil into class with no warning.
‘There was a simulation where the lecturers acted as a parent who was frustrated and had a complaint to resolve. I learned how to stay calm, listen to the parent talk, and ask them what they want to get out of the conversation. I’ve found this a very useful skill now I’m in work,’ says Ellie.
Check out a video of a multi-agency simulation in action.
Simulations bridge the gap between learning and work, helping you develop confidence and skills, so you’re ready to succeed when you step into your first professional role.
On Ryan and Ellie’s teaching degree, their first professional experience was placements in real schools. Simulations helped them get ready for these.
‘You learn a new strategy in your lectures, you practise it in simulations, and then go and try it out on placement,’ explains Ellie. ‘It goes round in a circle and I feel the three different ways we were taught have massively prepared me for taking on my career and not falling at the first hurdle.’
Simulations also give students experiences they might not get through placements or projects.
‘On placement, you’re shielded from a lot of things. You might not ever deal with parents. You don’t always see the problems or politics in schools. Simulations gave us that exposure in a safe way, so when it happened for real, it wasn’t a shock,’ explains Ellie.
‘I’ve had three occasions already where parents have asked for a referral for autism or ADHD,’ says Ryan. ‘Without practice, I would probably have struggled to understand exactly what needed doing. But the simulations taught me how to put everything down on paper, focus on the facts, and communicate clearly.’
Speaking of communication…
The skills you build with simulated learning depend on your course. Some skills will be tailored to a particular profession, but others will be transferable. That means they’re useful in any job, like critical thinking and problem-solving.
For Ryan, communication was the most valuable skill he developed with simulated learning.
‘The multi-agency simulation showed me how to talk to other people professionally, especially when they come from completely different fields. That is not something you get from lectures or even placements.’
‘It can be really tricky when you’re faced with other professionals and need to speak up,’ agrees Ellie. ‘The simulation helped me look through information critically, take the emotion out of it, and speak with other professionals head-on.’
Throw yourself into them.
‘The people who threw themselves into simulations came away with so much more confidence and experience,’ says Ellie.
‘Engaging with simulations opened doors for us,’ says Ryan. ‘It helped us stand out and show our commitment, and that helped us get other opportunities.’
Ellie and Ryan found simulations so valuable that they applied to be Pedagogic consultants during their final year, helping assess and improve simulated learning experiences for future students. As part of the project, they also co-wrote a research article with university lecturers, and their work was published in an academic journal.
Northumbria University offers students lots of different opportunities to get hands-on experience as part of their studies. We call it ‘experiential learning’.
Depending on your degree, you could learn through simulations, fieldwork, research, creative practice, live projects, and more.
Find out more on the Experiential Learning Hub.
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