Virtual mathematics education: Using second life to model and reflect upon the teaching of mathematics

Two of the challenges faced by mathematics teacher educators involve the issue of preservice teachers’ mathematical content knowledge and the impact this has on their PCK, and the perceived gap between the theoretical knowledge received in their teaching course and the practical knowledge gained in the classroom while on professional experience. This paper examines the use of what is essentially a teacher educator tool or strategy, designed to give pre-service teachers a realistic environment in which to address these two challenges. The study uses data collected from pre-service teachers who participated in virtual lessons using Second Life, post-lesson interviews and a teacher educator survey to document the advantages and disadvantages of using such an approach. The results indicate that the use of Second Life has practical implications for teacher educators as an additional tool for modelling and reflecting upon the teaching of mathematics.