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Many pre-service teachers feel under-prepared to teach students with a diverse range of needs and abilities and continue to be concerned about classroom behaviour management when undertaking practicum experiences. In order to address these concerns, teacher educators have explored alternative pedagogical approaches, including computer based simulations and immersion in virtual worlds. This paper reports on the results of a pilot study conducted with eight pre-service teachers who operated avatars in a virtual classroom created within Second Life (SL)™. The pre-service teachers were able to role-play students with a diverse range of behaviours and engage in reflective discussion about their experiences. The results showed that the pre-service teachers appreciated the opportunity to engage in an authentic classroom experience without impacting on "real" students, but that the platform of SL proved limiting in enacting certain aspects of desired teaching pedagogy. The findings of this pilot study are discussed in relation to improving the preparation of pre-service teachers for practicum.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	inclusive practices, practicum, pre-service teachers, Second Life, virtual classroom
Research Division:	Education
Research Group:	Education systems
Research Field:	Teacher education and professional development of educators
Objective Division:	Education and Training
Objective Group:	Teaching and curriculum
Objective Field:	Teaching and instruction technologies
UTAS Author:	Muir, T (Associate Professor Tracey Muir)
UTAS Author:	Allen, JM (Dr Jeanne Allen)
UTAS Author:	Rayner, CS (Dr Christopher Rayner)
UTAS Author:	Cleland, B (Mr Ben Cleland)
ID Code:	84394
Year Published:	2013
Deposited By:	Education
Deposited On:	2013-05-10
Last Modified:	2017-10-06
Downloads:	300 View Download Statistics