ABSTRACT
This chapter examines simulation, modelling, control and programming and recognises the importance of simulation, understands the challenges of teaching modelling, control and programming, and identifies strategies for embedding simulation in all its forms within the curriculum. The term 'Simulation' in the context of this chapter is regarded as an activity in which some aspect of human enterprise is emulated and explored through virtual and physical models. Virtual games are a form of Simulation that most pupils are very familiar with, but are not employed widely in school. Control systems in schools, dependant on context and the resources available, can be virtual and modelled. They require the application of computational thinking. Teaching computer modelling in schools can be achieved using a broad spectrum of tools that range from spreadsheets and algorithms, to the virtual worlds offered through gaming. As with all things in Computing, context is all-important in devising strategies for teaching Programming.
