What really is Scenario based Learning?

[Heike Philp aka Gwen Gwasi]

May I ask you what you think scenario based learning, action based learning, situational learning is?

Is is oversimplified or even wrong to state that one can only 'practise' what has been 'learned' before?

[Antonella Berriolo]

Hi Heike, what I'm doing in my Italianiamo activities is to practice italian without knowing if the participants have the required knowledge to do it :o) . I can do it also because they are free, open activities, and therefore participants will not be upset if sometimes is a disaster :o)
What I'm seeing is that in SL we have a very pownerful and simple tool in SL: the open chat. With the chat i can correct, suggest words and expressions when the "italianante" needs help or has a doubt without interrupting him/her. And it's natural for him/her to read aloud my suggestions and employ them to express him/herself. In addition, many copy the chat at the end of the activity, so they have a list in cotests of key words/expression that they used in a contest. Slowly by slowly they are learning and improving their oral expression. I would love to have the same tool in RL!!!

[stew.t.]

For me scenario based learning falls into two categories.

Roleplays and simulations. Let me clarify what I see as the difference.
The first is usually taking students away from there normal knowledge bases and business field to roleplay a function or character in a scenario.
Whereas simulations require input from the students to formulate. You simulate a real business life scenario and get them to play themselves.

I think the notion of only practising what has been learned before works with the majority of learners.
In my experience though you do have some learners who are creative and have the level of communication and abilities to run a scenario outside of their previous language learning limits.

The result could be from a the produced language less than if the language has been dealt with previously. However I am a firm believer that "Business English" is more than about only language skills learned but other essential communicative and business skills.