Changing directions through VirtualPREX: engaging pre-service teachers in virtual professional experience

Many pre-service teachers currently undertake their professional experience with insufficient knowledge and confidence to handle unexpected teaching situations. VirtualPREX explores the experiences of 72 pre-service teachers who undertook a teaching role-play in a virtual world. The researchers disc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gregory, S., Dalgarno, B., Campbell, M., Reiners, Torsten, Knox, V., Masters, Y.
Other Authors: G. Williams
Format: Conference Paper
Published: University of Tasmania 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35388
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author Gregory, S.
Dalgarno, B.
Campbell, M.
Reiners, Torsten
Knox, V.
Masters, Y.
author2 G. Williams
author_facet G. Williams
Gregory, S.
Dalgarno, B.
Campbell, M.
Reiners, Torsten
Knox, V.
Masters, Y.
author_sort Gregory, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Many pre-service teachers currently undertake their professional experience with insufficient knowledge and confidence to handle unexpected teaching situations. VirtualPREX explores the experiences of 72 pre-service teachers who undertook a teaching role-play in a virtual world. The researchers discuss this opportunity for pre-service teachers to utilise new methods and avenues in a virtual world to both supplement their learning and undertake preparation for practical experience. Participation by pre-service teachers in role-play enables them to test and develop a better range of professional skills and acquire confidence in, and more realistic awareness of, their skills before being placed in real-life classrooms. Presented in this paper are the findings from a pilot of this study and pre-service teacher reactions to the role-play activity including whether they felt that it was helpful in preparing them for their upcoming professional experience placement.
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publishDate 2011
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-353882023-01-27T05:52:10Z Changing directions through VirtualPREX: engaging pre-service teachers in virtual professional experience Gregory, S. Dalgarno, B. Campbell, M. Reiners, Torsten Knox, V. Masters, Y. G. Williams P. Statham N. Brown B. Cleland professional experience Second Life virtual worlds pre-service teachers Many pre-service teachers currently undertake their professional experience with insufficient knowledge and confidence to handle unexpected teaching situations. VirtualPREX explores the experiences of 72 pre-service teachers who undertook a teaching role-play in a virtual world. The researchers discuss this opportunity for pre-service teachers to utilise new methods and avenues in a virtual world to both supplement their learning and undertake preparation for practical experience. Participation by pre-service teachers in role-play enables them to test and develop a better range of professional skills and acquire confidence in, and more realistic awareness of, their skills before being placed in real-life classrooms. Presented in this paper are the findings from a pilot of this study and pre-service teacher reactions to the role-play activity including whether they felt that it was helpful in preparing them for their upcoming professional experience placement. 2011 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35388 University of Tasmania fulltext
spellingShingle professional experience
Second Life
virtual worlds
pre-service teachers
Gregory, S.
Dalgarno, B.
Campbell, M.
Reiners, Torsten
Knox, V.
Masters, Y.
Changing directions through VirtualPREX: engaging pre-service teachers in virtual professional experience
title Changing directions through VirtualPREX: engaging pre-service teachers in virtual professional experience
title_full Changing directions through VirtualPREX: engaging pre-service teachers in virtual professional experience
title_fullStr Changing directions through VirtualPREX: engaging pre-service teachers in virtual professional experience
title_full_unstemmed Changing directions through VirtualPREX: engaging pre-service teachers in virtual professional experience
title_short Changing directions through VirtualPREX: engaging pre-service teachers in virtual professional experience
title_sort changing directions through virtualprex: engaging pre-service teachers in virtual professional experience
topic professional experience
Second Life
virtual worlds
pre-service teachers
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35388