Educator Testimonials
“If you’re a teacher and you use any kind of educational software, you can pick this up really easily. Grading is a breeze with this. And the fact that the program grades for me gives me time to focus on other things – like improving my teaching methods, reading up on financial literacy topics, and spending more time with my students. I don’t teach a textbook-y generation, you know? The Knowledge Matters sims fit into the teen culture. They make learning fun for the students, which obviously makes it even more fun for me.”
Gerri Kimble
Hoover High School
Hoover, AL
“I am always available as a kind of coach, but how fast each student progresses really depends on his or her own abilities. That, to me, is one of Knowledge Matters’ greatest benefits. I think we’re starting to see a return to reality-based teaching of job skills, but this time by using technology to simulate real-world Situations.”
John Prchal
Harrell Accelerated Learning Center
Wichita Falls, TX
“I’ve learned by now that teaching is essentially part of the entertainment industry: If we don’t grab our students’ attention, they’re never going to have a chance to learn. The fashion simulation, like other Knowledge Matters sims, is full of what we call ‘chicken nuggets’: It presents information in a way kids love to consume. When they’re on the computer and immersed in the simulations, they don’t feel like they’re being taught with a capital ‘T.’ Only when I actually test them do they realize how much they’ve learned.”
Frank Rosa
Apponequet High School
Lakeville, MA
“What’s nice about Knowledge Matters sims is that they are so interactive. Students are free to work at their own pace and learn at their own pace, but they have to show that they have at least a basic grasp of the material. The sims create a competitive and engaging environment where students can try different ways to solve real-world business problems-and then see right away if they are successful. There’s just no way that a textbook can do that.”
Olivia Dachel
Tomahawk High School
Tomahawk, WI
“The sims are great teaching tools because students can instantly see the impact of each decision they make. I tell my students that this is the only time they’ll get to make consequence-free mistakes. In the real world, they may spend their last dollar doing it wrong, and not have enough money left to do it right. I want them to apply what they learn in class and make good decisions once they’re in the working world.”
Cathy Slagle
Ben Barber Career and Technology Academy
Mansfield, TX
“They see first-hand what would typically occur in a business setting – what happens when you raise room prices, create seasonal specials, or run a radio ad. They can work on the problem by themselves at their own speed. When they make money or turn a profit – and can grasp what they did to make it happen – then they can start to speak with confidence. That’s when, as a teacher, you know you’ve won.”
Lesly McBride
Colonial Heights High School
Colonial Heights, VA
“The greatest part is when you see a light go on and hear a student say, ‘Okay, now I get this. Running a business is pretty cool!’ While we were studying the restaurant sim earlier this year, one of my students went out to dinner with her family. She noticed right away that even though the busboys were standing around, her family had to wait a long time to be seated. She explained to her family that the restaurant needed to change its staffing-probably hire one more hostess and one less busboy. That way, more customers could be quickly seated instead of storming out the door to find another place to eat.'”
Jeff Hendrickson
Shasta High School
Redding, CA
“A lot of the kids I teach have never known anyone who runs their own business or manages a big company. They don’t know about things like balancing a check book or opening up a line of credit or ordering supplies. The sim creates a little mini-world where these kids can see how it all works. One of my students started yelling at his computer because one of his employees stopped working. ‘He stopped putting the bicycles together, Ms. Peterkin. Why did he stop?’ And I just said, ‘well, what are your working conditions like?’ He just looked at me and said, ‘I didn’t think it would be so hard to run a business! I thought you just made a lot of money.’”
Desireè Peterkin
Chesapeake High School
Baltimore County, MD
“All I try to do as a teacher is elevate my repertoire, to not be afraid to try new ideas and introduce things that will make the learning more relevant. And that’s one of the nice things about teaching business is that business is constantly changing. As a result of [that] you can’t stay complacent in what you taught from one year to the next.”
Louis DiCesare
Business Teacher & DECA Adviser
Irondequoit High School
Rochester, NY
“I really think it helps the students make the connection between my instruction, or instruction in general, and the actual application of concepts. I hear them appreciating how the curriculum really does help them realize or make those connections with what is being taught. We’ve got some really smart, talented kids in our program. I’m really, really blessed with that.”
Yoelin Cabrera-Fernandez
Academy of Finance & Banking Teacher
Southwest Miami High School
Miami, FL
“What I love about it [is] that it reaches everybody in my class. Some were special education (SPED) students, some were English language learners, some learn more kinesthetically, versus auditory. Differentiation is important for [a] teacher. Knowledge Matters helped reach each one of those different types of learners in one way or another. It’s a teacher’s dream I tell you! I just love the idea of how inclusive the program is. I can’t stress that enough, especially working in a school where the only laptop a lot of students have is one that the school issues. They are able to have that connection to the industry in such a real world application.”
Halee Porter, Ed. D
Hospitality Educator
Northside High School
Houston, TX
Knowledge Matters gives students real world experiences in the fields of business, marketing, finance, fashion, and hospitality and tourism through experiential career-based online simulations. Students have the opportunity to learn about possible career fields, and they enjoy solving problems throughout the process. This path helps them understand the material from another level, because they can see how their decisions affect a business with real-time feedback. Andrea says that students are so engaged, because it is “like a game and they feel connected to what they are learning.”
Andrea Anderson
Career & Technical Education (CTE) Coordinator
Birdville ISD
Haltom City, TX
“I like the fact that it’s fresh and certainly the kids can be very motivated by it. It is something different. It gets everyone engaged. They have to interact with it as opposed to a traditional lecture, so they’re definitely learning by doing. One thing that I do appreciate about the simulation is [that] even though we’re working towards the big project of completing the model, it’s broken down into so many steps that by the time we get there, they don’t have any problems. If a teacher is looking for something to add to their course, they’re a great supplement. They can be a stand alone because you have the ability to customize the lessons that you’re going to be using.”
Amy Sullivan
Cedar Crest High School
Lebanon, PA
Knowledge Matters is the leader in virtual experiential learning, providing simulations for High Schools, Colleges and Universities.
Immersive simulation experiences to teach high school business, marketing, and personal finance.
Simulaton curriculum can be seamlessly integrated into your existing curriculum and lesson plans.
Collaboration Simulations will help you teach 21st Century office skills and meet your learning objectives for teamwork, collaboration, and communication.