Teacher professional learning using simulation: a Delphi study

Abstract

ABSTRACTOver the last 15 years educational organizations, researchers, and practitioners have developed frameworks for teacher effectiveness. These frameworks were established in an effort to define ‘good teaching’ and have ultimately informed the process of teacher evaluation. Simultaneously, new tools, such as simulation, have emerged to support teacher preparation and professional development. As simulation becomes more widely used in education, teacher educators and educational administrators need guidance on what teaching skills to target to maximize the impact of simulation-based professional development. This study utilized the Delphi methodology to validate a list of teacher behaviors for learning and observation in a simulated environment. Through a two-round process, teacher preparation experts were asked to identify teacher behaviors that are both necessary for effective to teachers to possess and appropriate to target using simulation.