Web-based simulations for the training of mathematics teachers

A crucial step in learning to fly an airplane is to use a simulator, where the risks are minimized or even eliminated, and similar problems and hazards can be replayed and reflected upon time after time. A key aspect of this case study is to exploit such techniques by adopting the latest technological developments in simulating teaching practice to give pre-service teachers more "teaching" experience than would otherwise be practical or possible in typical student teaching placements. The case study explores the affordances offered by digital simulations for contextualizing pre-service teachers' learning of mathematics content and its pedagogy. Using the simulated classroom SimSchool as a virtual field experience, the authors seek to bridge the classic gap between teacher preparation and practice by creating reality-based learning contexts that strengthen pre-service teachers' appreciation of how to implement standard-based mathematics instruction in complex classrooms.