Hacking Education with Virtual Microworlds

Abstract: Contrary to popular belief, scientists working in their laboratories are not the members of society who learn the most in their daily lives. The members of society who do by far the most learning in their daily lives are children.Children tend to walk by the age of 12 months; they can express themselvesin the extremely complex system known as natural language by the age of two years; and they have developed a theory of mind after spending a mere four years in the world. And they manage all of this before entering formal education.The progress of even the hardest working university student pales in comparison.This is not just due to the difference in age between adults and children. It also has to do with the environment in which we learn.Microworlds are environments in which adult minds can construct knowledge in a similar way to children. This paper explains the ideas behind microworlds and describes two implementations of them.One microworld created for this paper, Narrative Roulette, is both an engaging and effective learning environment for teenage students at Kungsholmens Gymnasium.However, it does not seem to provide enough direct value for teachers for it to become a regular part of Kungsholmens Gymnasium’s curriculum.