GLoCALL 2021 accepted proposal – Simulation-Based Learning Environments: Practice-Based Teacher Education for TESOL Teacher Candidates

What is GLoCALL 2021? GLoCALL 2021 is an international academic conference focusing on the use of computer technology for language learning (CALL). GLoCALL conferences have been held annually since 2007 in various countries across Asia.

When is GLoCALL 2021? The GLoCALL 2021 conference will be held 16th-18th December 2021. Details of important dates are listed on the Important dates page.

Where will GLoCALL 2021 be held? The GLoCALL 2021 conference will be held online with online sessions presented via the website.

Abstract

Simulation-Based Learning Environments: Practice-Based Teacher Education for TESOL Teacher Candidates

Jasmin (Bey) Cowin, Ed.D.

Touro College, GSE

Post-pandemic, teacher education programs across the globe are searching for alternative pathways addressing practicum and fieldwork completion for teacher candidates. Simulation-based learning (SBL) with emotionally intelligent student avatars no longer seems a futuristic endeavor. Organizations focusing on medicine, nursing education, aviation, corporate work safety training, and the military have used simulations for years, enabling trainees to make decisions based on best industry standards through practice in virtual environments. With the growing diverse population in US schools, it is essential for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) teachers to practice incorporation of culturally responsive pedagogy and providing a safe environment for English Language Learners (ELLs). This presentation focuses on reviewing, contrasting, and framing two different virtual training environments for TESOL educators searching for additional opportunities to offer interactive field and practicum experiences: simSchool and Mursion. The presentation and paper will identify, illustrate, and interpret practice-based teacher education (PBTE) and SBL. PBTE illustrates high-level teaching practices, with a specific focus on situated context of use. A PBTE model in SBL can engage TESOL teacher candidates in task-based approaches and help candidates to solidify their knowledge of the distinctions between teaching approaches, methods and techniques.

Keywords: Simulation-based learning, practice-based teacher education, simSchool, Mursion, practice-based teacher education, avatars, practicum.

Author: drcowinj

Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs only to the people who prepare for it today,” determined Malcolm X at the O.A.A.U.’s [Organization of Afro-American Unity] founding forum at the Audubon Ballroom. (June 28, 1964). (X, n.d.) Dr. Jasmin Bey Cowin a Fulbright Scholar, SIT Graduate, completed the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP™) at Columbia University, Teachers College. Dr. Cowin served as the President of the Rotary Club of New York and Assistant Governor for New York State; long-term Chair of the Rotary United Nations International Breakfast meetings; and works as an Assistant Professor at Touro College, Graduate School of Education. Dr. Cowin has over twenty-five years of experience as an educator, tech innovator, entrepreneur, and institutional leader with a focus on equity and access to digital literacy and education in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Her extensive background in education, administration, not-for-profit leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and technology innovation provide her with unique skills and vertical networks locally and globally. Dr. Cowin participates fully in the larger world of TESOL academic discipline as elected Vice President and Chair-Elect for the New York State, NYS TESOL organization, for the 2021 conference. Ongoing research, expressed in scholarly contributions to the advancement of knowledge is demonstrated through publications, presentations, and participation in academic conferences, blogging, and other scholarly activities, including public performances and exhibitions at conferences and workshops. Of particular interest to her are The Blockchain of Things and its implications for Higher Education; Current Global Trends in TESOL; Developing Materials and Resources in Teaching English; E-learning; Micro and Macro-Methodologies in TESOL; E-Resources Discovery and Analysis; and Language Acquisition and the Oculus Rift in VR. View all posts by drcowinj