Section archive - ICT & Teaching

This exploratory study examines the effectiveness of a “virtual role-play” (VRP) tool developed to help teacher candidates effectively respond to classroom bullying by providing them with opportunities to engage in repeated, authentic practice conversations. The authors hypothesized that practice in simulated conversations provided by VRP would improve teacher candidates’ communication skills and increase their confidence in responding to classroom bullying. The findings revealed that the repeated practice afforded by VRP improved candidates’ fluency in a way that traditional role-play did not, especially given the time and logistical constraints for conducting regular role-play.

The present study examined whether online discussion of the classroom challenges that preservice teachers face during the field experience can lead to problem solving and if so, how. Analysis of discussion threads related to classroom challenges revealed four distinct patterns of discourse as preservice teachers attempted to solve problems of practice. Preservice teachers used the space to link to and borrow from experts’ experiences and reflect on broader principles of teaching.

In this article, the author discusses the importance of conceptualizing place and space in teacher professional development intervention research. Using a cultural historical activity theory framework, the author discusses how the cultural and historical aspects of the place and context in which the teachers taught mediated the teachers’ understandings of the affordances of incorporating critical digital literacies into their classroom teaching. Findings suggest introducing new tools into the rural setting helped influence teachers’ identity in their role as professional educators. The professional development intervention helped the teachers develop a greater sense of agency and purpose within their rural context.

In this article, the authors explore challenges encountered by K-12 educators in establishing classroom cultures that support creative learning activities with the Scratch programming language. The analysis is organized into three thematic clusters that elaborate this conflict: teacher vs. self, teacher vs. student, and teacher vs. culture. Teacher vs. self explores the role of teacher identity and psychology in supporting creative activities in the classroom. Teacher vs. student discusses unanticipated resistance from young learners encountering creative activities in school settings. Teacher vs. culture describes how expectations from beyond the classroom setting can constrain creative activities within the classroom, including the role of parents, administrators, and policy.