Interactive learning environments (ILEs) as effective tools for teaching social sciences

Schoolteachers could enhance learning in social science courses by using teaching tools that favour a methodological approach focused on the topics' basic structure rather than on facts. An innovative system dynamics social-based ILE built with a social constructivist approach is presented here. The pedagogical futures of this ILE are then analysed. The effective impact of different instructional approaches inspired by social-based ILEs on student learning outcomes is also discussed. The ILE and the related inquiry-based instructional approach seem to help students understand fundamental concepts more easily, thus making the topic more comprehensible and helping students place the social facts into a structured scheme. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.