Abstract
The adoption of virtual reality professional experiences in initial teacher education programs has been expedited over the last few years. Virtual reality has provided alternative professional experiences for preservice teachers unable to attend traditional classrooms due to school closures and visitor restrictions due to COVID-19. Virtual reality has been used as a substitute for traditional professional experiences and to create valuable online professional experiences for preservice teachers. This chapter discusses the advantages and disadvantages of adopting these virtual reality professional experiences. These experiences can involve microteaching with virtual classrooms or responding to critical incidents. Immersing in classroom scenarios and critical incidents in virtual reality environments can help preservice teachers prepare for the challenges of their future face-to-face classrooms and for teaching online. There are, however, a number of challenges to the adoption of virtual professional experiences in initial teacher education programs. These challenges include the acceptance of virtual reality as a valuable experience, addressing potential short-term health risks, and ensuring access to relevant technologies. Teacher educators also need time to develop the skills needed to design realistic virtual reality classroom scenarios and incidents that can extend preservice teachers professional experiences. Future research needs to address these challenges.
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Keane, T., Chalmers, C. (2023). The Role of Virtual Reality Professional Experiences in Initial Teacher Education. In: Garvis, S., Keane, T. (eds) Technological Innovations in Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2785-2_1
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