Virtual Reality in Initial Teacher Education (VRITE): a reverse mentoring model of professional learning for learning leaders

ABSTRACT

This small-scale design-based study describes a cyclical model of professional learning between three stakeholders in initial teacher education (ITE) namely: university-based educators (UEs), student teachers (STs) and co-operating teachers (CTs). This model promotes the development of digital learning leaders through an innovative mentoring process. This process started with university-based educators (UEs) mentoring their student teachers (STs) in the pedagogical use of Virtual Reality (VR) and the creation of re-usable learning objects (RLOs). STs were supported and encouraged to cascade this learning to their placement schools as digital learning leaders connecting the innovative practice from the university directly to their classroom practice. Through bi-directional reverse-mentoring the STs and CTs supported each other technically (with the VR) and pedagogical (through the links to the curriculum) to create additional subject-specific RLOs which the STs were able to demonstrate to the UEs on their return to university. Thus, providing the final link in the cycle of learning leaders across the triad of partners in ITE.

KEYWORDS:

• Virtual reality
• learning leader
• initial teacher education
• professional learning
• mentoring

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS) and Ubuntu Network for this project (September 2019 to April 2021).

Notes on contributors

Rachel Farrell

Dr. Rachel Farrell is Assistant Professor of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and the Director of the Professional Master of Education Programme (PME) in the School of Education at University College Dublin. Rachel’s main research interest is in the area of Democratic Pedagogical Partnerships in IITE. Rachel has led many collaborative initiatives including: effective use of immersive technology in post-primary education with SchooVR, an evaluation of digital portfolios in ITE with MS Education Ireland, cyber resilience education with the DECC, Look See What I Can Be: Changing Mindsets/Impacting Futures in STEM funded by SFI and supported by the PDS and the PDST Young Economist of the Year. Follow Rachel on Twitter @econrachel

Pamela Cowan

Dr. Pamela Cowan is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast. She is currently responsible for pre-service training in the area of ICT/Computing and teaches the online Masters module on E-learning offering in-service training in technology enhanced learning to Masters students locally and internationally. She supervises and examines doctoral students in the areas of computing education, online assessment and e-portfolios, technology use in language learning, teacher education and alternative learning contexts. Pamela has presented her research at numerous international conferences in Europe and the USA since 1998. Pamela was the recipient of the SCoTENS John Coolahan Award in both 2018 and 2021 with various co-authors of this paper.

Martin Brown

Dr. Martin Brown is currently Head of the School of Policy and Practice at the DCU Institute of Education and an elected member of the Centre for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He is a specialist in educational evaluation and assessment and has planned and led evaluations in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Europe and the Middle East; working for, among others, the Department of Education, the National Learning Network and the United Arab Emirates government. Martin also held the role of research director at the Centre for Evaluation, Quality and Inspection (EQI), and acts as an external advisor to the Teaching Council of Ireland and was one of the inaugural recipients of the John Coolahan SCOTENS award for research into Teacher Education in Ireland.

Stephen Roulston

Dr. Stephen Roulston is currently the Course Director for PGCE Geography at Ulster University. His research interests include online learning, alongside other uses for ICTs in supporting learning and teaching. More recently the use of GIS in schools has been a focus of his research, and the use of GPS-enabled tracking devices to elucidate children’s geographies. He has worked closely with colleagues in the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences to develop teachers’ skills in GIS, developing with those colleagues a masters level short course in GIS for teachers. Dr Roulston is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a recipient of a Distinguished Teaching Team Award from Ulster University. He is the NI representative on the International Geographical Union, a member of the International Commission on Geographical Education, a recipient of the Digital Earth GIS Centre of Excellence award and winner of the Association of Geographical Information Education Award in 2015.

Sammy Taggart

Mr. Sammy Taggart is a Lecturer in Education at Ulster University with responsibility for PGCE Technology and Design. Having taught in a NI grammar school for 13 years and as Head of Department for a number of years, Sammy joined Ulster University in 2017. His research interests include the use of technology in peace building in NI and in particular the role of virtual reality in contested places and spaces. In 2021 Sammy received the Distinguished Education Excellence Award (Early Career Educator) from Ulster University for his work during lockdown.

Enda Donlon

Dr. Enda Donlon is an Associate Professor in the school of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies at the DCU Institute of Education. He is a former president (2018–2020) and vice-president (2016–2018) of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI), and has served on the national executive of the Computers in Education Society of Ireland (CESI) from 2008–2019. He is currently the Irish representative on the Governing Council of the European Educational Research Association (EERA). His research interests include: teaching and learning with Web 2.0 tools, virtual environments for teaching and learning, social media skills as transferable skills and the role of technology in programmes of Initial Teacher Education.

Mark Baldwin

Mark Baldwin holds a BA, MA, and PDE in Education. He is a former post-primary school teacher with experience in teaching history and geography in schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In 2017, he was the recipient of the Bianca Ni Grogáin teaching award presented by the Computers Association of Ireland for innovative teaching and learning. Mark was also a National Finalist in 2018, in Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur competition. Using his hands-on experience in the classroom and passion for education, Mark founded his own educational start-up, SchooVR during 2019 and has worked on a number of collaborative initiatives including Erasmus + and UCD outreach projects.