Practicing Professional Judgment

A teacher education instructor uses a virtual simulation to help new teachers practice methods with a wide array of special education student needs. The instructor knows that “prospective teachers usually do not come into contact with a wide variety of students during teaching internships…although a ‘real’ student may not react the same way as a ‘virtual’ student, through the stimulation they gain confidence as they get the sense that they can anticipate and actually fix problems that might arise in their actual classrooms.”

Do you engage students in a kind of learning that involves developing professional judgment in a variety of different contexts? Does the development of judgment need to be practiced in a safe environment? Does this learning involve activities that could cause damage, expense, or even loss of life? Will students feel more confident and be more competent if they have been able to work first in a simulated environment before going into the real world? These are learning outcomes that are well served by learning through virtual realities.

Intended Learning Outcomes What students learn	Way of Learning Origins and theory	Common Methods What the teacher provides
Practicing professional judgment Sound judgment and appropriate professional action in complex, context-dependent situations	Learning through virtual realities Psychodrama, sociodrama, gaming theory	Role playing Simulations Dramatic scenarios Games

Teachers who want to facilitate learning through virtual realities effectively do the following:

• define a clear purpose for using virtual realities for learning
• design or select the activity to use
• define the type of professional behavior or judgment desired from students as an outcome
• find appropriate materials to support the activity
• arrange the logistical aspects, such as number of participants, type of roles needed, level of structure, and length
• identify the various roles that are needed and create the scripts or backgrounds to set them in motion
• decide what role or level of involvement, if any, the teacher will have
• define any rules necessary for the activity to proceed
• prepare students for the activity and any possible emotional reactions
• facilitate the action as necessary using techniques such as role reversal, student doubles, empty chair, soliloquy, freeze frame, and so forth
• be prepared to stop, pause, or support the activity with additional resources, materials, technologies, or just-in-time explanations
• provide formative feedback and determine what aspects of the activity are appropriate for summative assessment
• debrief the experience with students to identify and discuss the essential learning