Learning from avatars: Learning assistants practice physics pedagogy in a classroom simulator

Abstract

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Preparing and Supporting University Physics Educators.] Undergraduate students are increasingly being used to support course transformations that incorporate research-based instructional strategies. While such students are typically selected based on strong content knowledge and possible interest in teaching, they often do not have previous pedagogical training. The current training models make use of real students or classmates role playing as students as the test subjects. We present a new environment for facilitating the practice of physics pedagogy skills, a highly immersive mixed-reality classroom simulator, and assess its effectiveness for undergraduate physics learning assistants (LAs). LAs prepared, taught, and reflected on a lesson about motion graphs for five highly interactive computer generated student avatars in the mixed-reality classroom simulator. To assess the effectiveness of the simulator for this population, we analyzed the pedagogical skills LAs intended to practice and exhibited during their lessons and explored LAs' descriptions of their experiences with the simulator. Our results indicate that the classroom simulator created a safe, effective environment for LAs to practice a variety of skills, such as questioning styles and wait time. Additionally, our analysis revealed areas for improvement in our preparation of LAs and use of the simulator. We conclude with a summary of research questions this environment could facilitate.

The Effects of Immersive Simulation on Targeted Collaboration Skills among Undergraduates in Special Education

“…Immersive simulation is still in the nascent stages of use in teacher preparation, but as Dieker, Rodriguez, Lignugaris/Kraft, Hynes, Hughes (2016) and a growing body of literature (Chini et al, 2016) suggest, there is increasing evidence to support its potential to evolve into a powerful pedagogical tool for preparing teachers. The results of this study lend to the expansion of this body of evidence by demonstrating that (a) targeted collaboration skills can be improved through the opportunity to observe and participate in immersive simulation, and (b) for pre-service teachers who participated more than once, the simulation had a more powerful impact on professional communication skills than anything else-skills that are not likely to develop without real or simulated opportunities to practice and hone (Ivey et al, 2014;Scruggs et al, 2007).…”

Characterizing graduate teaching assistants’ teaching practices in physics “mini-studios”

“…[12] for more details. In addition, the GTAs rehearsed two pedagogical skills, cold calling and error framing, in a mixed-reality simulator [13] at the beginning of one semester; we do not report on the rehearsed skills in this analysis.…”

Student perspective of GTA strategies to reduce feelings of anxiousness with cold-calling

“…GTAs leading the introductory inquiry-based general chemistry lab [17] (~24 students) and the introductory physics "mini-studio" (recitation and lab combined) [18] (~32 students) participated in a one-day boot camp during the first week of the spring 2019 semester in addition to their weekly prep meetings. Each GTA participated in two sevenminute sessions in a mixed-reality simulator [19]. GTAs were prompted to practice cold calling and error framing with avatar-students while facilitating a whole class discussion.…”