Future-Oriented Reflection in Simulation-Based Learning: A Freirean Lens on Teacher Development Across Modalities

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Reframing Teacher Growth: Simulation, Mentorship, and Online Learning for a New Era

Abstract

This study explores how first-year teachers engage in reflective thinking across two simulation modalities: clinical simulations with professional actors and virtual simulations developed with SchoolSims. Grounded in experiential learning theory and Freirean conceptions of critical consciousness, reflection is reconceptualized as a future-oriented, socially mediated act of ethical professional becoming. A mixed-methods design involved 94 culturally diverse teachers participating in a classroom management simulation. Data sources included the SLOTE questionnaire, open-ended reflections, and video-recorded observations. Findings indicate that virtual simulations fostered deeper reflective engagement—especially among minority participants—by affording emotional safety, temporal flexibility, and dialogic space. These insights position simulation-based learning as an inclusive, temporally situated pedagogy that supports equitable and critically aware teacher development in diverse educational contexts.

Authors

• Orna Levin, Achva Academic College

• Heidi Flavian, Achva Academic College