Learning to Teach: How a Simulated Learning Environment Can Connect Theory to Practice in General and Special Education Educator Preparation Programs

Maria B Peterson-Ahmad,Melanie Landon-Hays,Andrea Dawn Frazier

doi:10.3390/educsci10070184

Abstract

Educator preparation programs have moved away from offering interest-based courses that prepare a teacher candidate on a more surface level and have opted to integrate more authentic experiences with technology that are infused into coursework. This research study focused on redesigning key courses in both the general and special education graduate-level educator preparation programs (EPPs) to infuse learning experiences through a simulated learning environment (Mursion) to help bridge teacher candidates’ coursework and field experiences, offering them robust experience with high leverage practices and technology that increases their own competency. Data from this study demonstrated that preservice teacher candidate work within the Mursion simulated learning environment increased use of high leverage practices related to strategic teaching, collaboration, differentiation, and providing feedback. Implications for instructional coaching, microteaching, repeated practice, and closing the research to practice gap are discussed.

Highlights

Calls to enhance technology initiatives in teacher education programs have increased exponentially.Today’s schools, both K12 and above, require students to have advanced digital skills as they continue to integrate technology into their curriculum
Participant self-reflection data aligned with the high leverage practices noted in the professors’ observations: explaining and modeling content, practices, and strategies; coordinating and adjusting instruction during a lesson; and checking student understanding during and at the conclusion of lessons
Data from this study suggest that sessions in the Mursion simulated learning environment, in addition to instructional coaching, were effective tools that allowed for increased reflection and improved teacher efficacy

Summary

Introduction

Calls to enhance technology initiatives in teacher education programs have increased exponentially.Today’s schools, both K12 and above, require students to have advanced digital skills as they continue to integrate technology into their curriculum. Category while working with teacher candidates designated as “digital natives” who are placed in schools that serve students who live in a technologically advanced world, but in environments whose technology offerings may differ significantly from one zip code to the [2,3]. These complexities must be acknowledged in designing Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs). Most educator preparation programs have moved away from offering interest-based courses that prepare a teacher candidate on a more surface level and have opted to integrate more authentic experiences with that are infused into coursework to provide a dispositional model for students of curiosity and confidence [4].

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion