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SimulaTE is studying teaching simulations as formative assessments of pre-service teachers’ (PST) practice of eliciting and interpreting students’ mathematical thinking. Preparation and protocols that promote reliability and validity of the simulations as formative assessments will enhance their effectiveness and generalizability. Teacher educators who use the simulations document each PST’s performance to generate feedback for the PST in nine categories, arising from a decomposition of the teaching practice into specific component skills or actions. A series of coordinated validation studies include research to determine if the nine categories are distinguishable through the use of the simulation assessments, and can benefit from attention beyond other experiences PSTs have in their teacher preparation programs
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Comparison of Peer-to-Peer and Virtual Simulation Rehearsals in Eliciting Student Thinking Through Number Talks
Structures such as rehearsals have been designed within mathematics education to engage teacher candidates in deliberate practice of specific teaching episodes before enacting within classroom settings. Current research has analyzed traditional rehearsals that involve peers acting as K-12 students as the teacher candidate facilitates an activity; however innovative technologies such as virtual simulation software — Mursion® (developed as TeachLivE™) — offer new opportunities to use student avatars in this context. This work explores the use of rehearsals within virtual simulations as compared to traditional rehearsals by using (nonpooled) two- sample, t-tests to compare changes in the control and comparison groups regarding their use of eliciting strategies. Similarity of the groups in how they develop eliciting strategies presents evidence that virtual simulations have the potential to provide comparable contexts for rehearsals. At the same time, the specific differences between groups prompts further examination of the contexts and patterns in discussion to better understand what is influencing differential change.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1725707
- PAR ID:
- 10295939
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education
- Volume:
- 21
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1528-5804
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 297
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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