Exploring Simulated Practice in Teacher Education: Opportunities to Professionalize the Teacher Role

In Norway, as in many other countries worldwide, student teachers often report a lack of coherence between their practice experiences and the teacher training provided on campus. For example, student teachers request more practice-relevant campus training on themes like parent-teacher conferences. Employers worldwide expect universities to prepare graduates to innovate practices. This empirical article addresses these challenges by engaging student teachers in simulation-based practice designs (SPDs), which include a class brief, group sessions with simulated parent-teacher conferences, and a debrief. The students are encouraged to act with agency and approach the simulated situations critically. Overall, this study shows that students are highly engaged and task-oriented across SPDs. The survey data (n = 39) show that students perceive the simulation experiences as relevant preparation for their future practice. Audio recordings (215 min) and field notes indicate that they are triggered to critically reflect on and generate ideas for addressing challenges in the simulated situations. There are instances of linking theory with practice, and even some "thinking outside the box". SPDs provide valuable opportunities to professionalize the teacher role but could benefit from more support and time to bridge the gap between theory and practice and encourage more innovative thinking.