Maintaining the Teacher Pipeline During a Public Health Crisis and Beyond
Scaffolding teacher prep with student avatars, virtual classrooms and live coaching
The Danielson Group and Mursion combine their expertise to provide teacher candidates and new teachers virtual simulations to practice instructional moves using a blend of virtual reality and human coaching. Educators can practice strategies in a risk-free environment with responsive avatar students operated by a simulation specialist. Learners can pause the experience to analyze it through dialogue with a live expert coach, with insight on the components of effective practice in The Framework for Teaching (FFT) Clusters.
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The Danielson Group and Mursion joined forces to support teacher preparation programs and school leaders in preparing teachers to lead engaging, student-focused learning experiences with confidence. The Mursion platform allows participants to try skills in a virtual reality simulation, to reflect on the experience in real time, and to apply learning to try the scenario again to bring about new outcomes. The FFT Clusters provide a common language to focus on strengths and a continuum of teaching skills. Together, Mursion and The Danielson Group encourage professional inquiry and continual learning.
The FFT Clusters are an outgrowth of the research-based tool, the Framework for Teaching (FFT) developed by Charlotte Danielson more than two decades ago. Six Clusters support teacher growth and student learning: clarity and accuracy, learning environment, classroom management, intellectual engagement, successful learning, and professionalism. Jim Furman, Executive Director of the Danielson Group underscores the “importance of providing rich opportunities to learn and practice to teacher candidates as they prepare to engage in one of our most essential collective tasks.” Teachers “enter the profession with empathy, intellectual curiosity, motivation, and a sense of justice, and we want to help support them on their journey to success.”
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An April 2020 survey on the coronavirus pandemic by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) revealed that field placements have been discontinued for at least some of their students. “The gold standard for preparing teachers remains to be face-to-face, in classroom experience. While the public health crisis has taken that opportunity away, pre-service teachers don’t have to be unmoored and alone,” said Dr. Carrie Straub, Executive Director of Educational Programs and Research at Mursion. “A live Danielson coach combined with our virtual reality (VR) human-in-the-loop approach to experiential learning is a powerful training tool that is anchored in field-tested simulations and evidenced-based strategies that gives novice teachers a safe place to make mistakes and puts them on a path to mastery.”
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