These simulations are designed to help you learn some of the basic skills and habits of teaching mathematics--so that you can focus your attention while teaching on what can't be simulated.
Considered as a game, each simulation has a prize--a deep connection or insight made by a virtual student. Your goal is to create an atmosphere in which that kind of learning can take place.
On at least one path to the prize, you will see ideas from a variety of perspectives that you might not encounter in real teaching until you've taught for several years. Therefore, you're better prepared to teach the content--tomorrow, if necessary. And you may come to understand the content more deeply.
In each "sim," you are placed in a situation common to teachers--instruction, reviewing, planning, tutoring, etc. Each simulation generally concentrates on only a few aspects of the process rather than everything you have to deal with at the same time. Unlike in a real teaching situation, you also have time to think before you respond.
You "play the sim" by frequently choosing from a list of choices. Each choice determines what happens next.
As you run each simulation, you can gauge your progress with a bar graph. Generally the bars indicate how well you are creating an environment conducive to learning--and how much is being learning.
Follow the link below to run some free sample simulations, to get more information about the simulations, or to sign up or sign in to run other simulations.