Simulated teaching environments have been used for more than two decades and are likely to continue to expand to meet the demands of teacher development programs. In this study, the self-reported changes in culturally-responsive teaching perceptions of ten classroom teachers serving more than six hundred students are reported. This paper includes first year findings from a program designed to use artificial-intelligence (AI) based algorithms to reduce implicit bias in teaching. Findings from this study include significant pre-post increases for self-efficacy related to culturally responsive teaching as well as instructional self-efficacy. These findings add credibility to the contention that a key innovation of using simulation programs for teacher professional development is that it provides teachers and teacher trainees many learning trials with simulated students, thereby increasing teacher confidence and competence, and which in turn will improve student learning. Findings set the stage for measuring the impact on student perceptions of learning and cultural engagement intended to support teachers in recognizing and ameliorating their own implicit biases.
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Simulations and Teacher Professional Development: Approaches to Cross-Validation of Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies
o improve teaching practices that encourage more culturally responsiveness to the
diversity of classrooms, a simulated teaching program is being implemented to provide reflective feedback intended to reduce implicit biases that may exist. This birds-of-a-feather session is intended to explore ways to validate the use of artificial intelligence in the simulated teaching environment. Pilot data have been collected from year one of a three-year project and results indicate improvement in strategies to teach in a culturally responsive manner. Pre-post survey data as well as simulation-gathered data are being used to validate the simulator through changes in teachers’ perceptions.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2118849
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10443698
- Editor(s):
- Langran, E.; Henriksen, D.
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- .), Proceedings of SITE Interactive Conference
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 136-139
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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