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The options for Artificial intelligence (AI) tools used in teacher education are increasing daily, but more is only sometimes better for teachers working in already complex classroom settings. This team discusses the increase of AI in schools and provides an example from administrators, teacher educators, and computer scientists of an AI virtual agent and the research to support student learning and teachers in classroom settings. The authors discuss the creation and potential of virtual characters in elementary classrooms, combined with biometrics and facial emotional recognition, which in this study has impacted student learning and offered support to the teacher. The researchers share the development of the AI agent, the lessons learned, the integration of biometrics and facial tracking, and how teachers use this emerging form of AI both in classroom-based center activities and to support students’ emotional regulation. The authors conclude by describing the application of this type of support in teacher preparation programs and a vision of the future of using AI agents in instruction.
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Situating Teacher Movement, Space, and Relationships to Pedagogy: A Visual Method and Framework
In conversations about pedagogy, researchers often overlook how physical space and movement shape teacher sensemaking. This article offers a comparative case study of classroom videos using a dynamic visual method to map embodied interaction called “interaction geography.” Our analysis proposes an integrative framework to study classroom interactions and teacher movement over space and time comprised of four salient characteristics within lessons: trails, landmarks, material routines, and circulation patterns. We discuss how this visual method and framework can be used and expanded by classroom researchers and teachers as a starting point to better understand teaching as a situative and spatial practice, a crucial step in characterizing responsive forms of instruction. This work has implications not only for teachers and teacher educators but also for architects, administrators, and researchers concerned with the physical design of classrooms.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2100784
- PAR ID:
- 10498966
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.3102
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Educational Researcher
- Volume:
- 53
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 0013-189X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 335-347
- Size(s):
- p. 335-347
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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