As I consider instructional simulation, which refers to the use of replication of scenarios to support learning, one way it presents itself invaluable is in teacher education preparation. Periodically, I present before preservice and novice teachers at conferences and symposiums. Among the most consistent advice I give those teachers is to prepare themselves for the realities of teaching by practicing their responses and reactions to stimuli. It is not my intention to offend anyone, but the practicality of my example represents a probable scenario any teacher could face. So, go with it; will you?

When I first began teaching, I was not in an ideal situation. The school I was assigned to was far outside of my neighborhood, and I really didn’t want to be there nor was I wanted by the teachers whose classes I was forced to use as I traveled with my audio-visual cart stacked with books, papers, and the typical teacher accoutrement. After months of teaching, I had found a certain groove. During a class discussion about an Edgar Allan Poe story, I corrected a junior whose behavior was distracting the flow of discourse. Her response was to call be a “bitch”. Needless to say, at twenty-one, I was still a bit maladjusted, and my reaction only made matters worse.

Fast forward a degree of maturity, one graduate degree, and five years later, I again was called the same term of non-endearment by a seventh-grade student. This time, however, my reaction did not disturb the flow of the course learning and instruction. Neither his stimuli nor my response caused a shift because after the first time I a student called me a “bitch,” I learned to anticipate certain behaviors and to prepare my response to them. I practiced my resp9onse to any scenario I could imagine: a real fire, rude parents, disrespectful students, fights, and so on. I hope you can see where I am going with this.

Integrating instructional simulation with student learning objectives for teacher education programs can provide future teachers with a greater degree of preparation. Barrera, Venegas-Muggli, and Nunez (2020) examined the impact of simulation and role play among teacher education students in a Chilean university and found that students who learned via role play and simulation outperformed those who did not. Although I did not have the benefit of being taught through such means, I can contest that my own preparation changed my instructional impact.

Reference

Barrera, F., Venegas-Muggli, J., & Nunez, O. (2020). The impact of role-playing simulation activities on higher education students ‘ academic results. Innovations in Education and Teaching International. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2020.1740101