Future teachers learn on live simulators

During fall quarter, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in La Sierra’s School of Education hosted a series of training sessions using TeachLive, a mixed reality simulation training program from Mursion. 

More than 40 La Sierra teaching candidates aiming for Seventh-day Adventist or state credentials, participated in three types of simulated training exercises – general classroom management, middle school content instruction, and management of a parent-teacher conference. During this training exercise, La Sierra teaching students stood in front of a screen on which were projected their virtual students in a classroom setting. The subjects on the screen responded to questions by the student teachers and reacted in real ways, including at times with comments on the teachers’ appearance, a feat accomplished through live simulated video technology.

The simulated training provided the student teachers opportunities to develop their direct instruction skills and classroom management abilities, as well as their communication and collaboration capacities.

On Nov. 17, approximately 20 La Sierra teaching candidates attended a middle school social studies training session with five virtual students named Maria, CJ, Kevin, Ed and Sean. The student teachers each conducted five-minute sessions on the composition of the federal government and received feedback afterward from instructors and their peers.

“Do you have any idea who makes up the executive branch?” a La Sierra education student asked her on-screen students who were sometimes energetic, sometimes quiet, sometimes mouthy.

“You’re telling me the cabinet is part of the executive branch? We’re doomed,” quipped virtual Kevin from his seat at the back of the virtual classroom.

The virtual students represent the various personality types that are typically present in a real classroom, said Keith Drieberg, curriculum and instruction department chair. “As teachers, understanding the social and emotional variables becomes very important,” he said.

“I’ve never stood up in front of a classroom,” said teaching candidate Rajesh Inparaj following the middle school training exercise. A psychology and neuroscience major, he aims for a career in education. “I’m going to be [in a classroom] in a couple of weeks. It helps get some of those nerves out. It helps a lot with preparedness.”

“I really valued how we got to see other students make different approaches and learn from it,” added Daniel Burke who is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching with plans for a Master of Divinity degree.

“It was definitely helpful,” said Katherine Gonzalez, an elementary education major from New York. In her lesson, she used an egg to illustrate the branches of government with the shell representing the executive branch, the egg whites the judicial, and the yolk the legislative branch. “This is good for someone just stepping into the classroom,” she said.

The School of Education carried out a beta test of the virtual training program last school year. The system was fully implemented this year with the next simulation labs planned for February. Additionally, Drieberg is heading research on the program’s impact. A research article will be submitted to teacher practice publications by January.

“The goal is to have every student in the department train with the simulator at least two to three times,” Drieberg said. “What we hope to study next year is the use of the simulator in teacher training with the collection of physiological data.”