microcosm: some of the best learning out there

The Genre of real environments/experiences that serves as a case study, analogy, or training ground for a larger, more important, and less controllable environment.

• A lemonade stand can be a microcosm for any business.
• Growing a garden can be a microcosm to develop stewardship.
• Running a meeting can be a microcosm for Leadership.
• Social Networking can be a microcosm for working in a community.
• Running a business unit can be a microcosm for being CEO.

Other microcosm assignments:

• Raise $100 for a cause or candidate.
• Make $100 by reselling items on ebay.
• Sell ten books by going door to door.
• Sell 500 sheets of paper with writing for at least 25 cents each.
• Win five sports games.
• Find the cheapest online price for a cow.

Real-world microcosms can potentially have as much Pedagogy and Coaching and structure (in the form of Tasks and Levels) as an educational simulation, and while more expensive and impossible to fully scale, are also less contrived. As with a sim, microcosm encourage emergent learning. Unlike a sim, however, microcosms can take a long time to play out, are "unfair," and are susceptible to noise.

Microcosms are also necessary in designing a simulation interface as part of the abstraction process. For example, a meeting can present a microcosm for all leadership.

Achieving mastery level, including with Big Skills, almost always requires success in a microcosm.

Author's note: In most academic situations, the analysis and write-up of a microcosm is more prioritized than the success of the experience. If a student grew a garden, and then wrote a paper on it, the academic philosophy would suggest grading the paper heavily, as opposed to grading the garden.