What is it about?
Most people wouldn’t perform on stage or deliver a big speech without practicing first. Teaching should be no different. But when it comes to preparation, not all practice is equally effective, no matter the domain. This study explored how virtual classroom simulations—where new teachers practice teaching scenarios with student avatars—support teachers who were learning to teach in very different preparatory contexts. Teachers practiced multiple skills in the simulator. Some received expert coaching between sessions, while others practiced and reflected independently. Across many skills and preparation contexts, those who got coaching improved more quickly. Many teacher preparation programs are using simulation technology, but very few provide coaching in between sessions. Our study makes clear that coaching is a key ingredient for programs looking to make practice as effective and efficient as possible.
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Why is it important?
This research offers a blueprint for how teacher preparation programs can use novel technologies and coaching together to better support aspiring teachers. It's one of the first large-scale studies to rigorously test this approach across diverse preparation programs. By pinpointing when and how practice works best—and where it doesn't—it helps preparation leaders invest in strategies that really pay off in terms of aspiring teachers’ skill development. Our goal was to help prep programs avoid using technology for technology’s sake and understand methods to maximize the return on their investments in new tech. Ultimately, this could help teachers better support their students from the jump.
Perspectives
What makes this work especially meaningful to us–and hopefully the field–is how it came together. This study was made possible by an interdisciplinary research team committed to building and sustaining deep partnerships across diverse teacher preparation contexts. This commitment allowed us to conduct rigorous, multisite experimental work in a field where that’s almost unheard of. This undertaking was grounded in our shared belief that more inclusive, cross-program research can strengthen the evidence base for how new teachers learn to teach. We hope this article inspires others to tackle the complexities of teacher preparation with nuance, creativity, and an understanding that we can learn more together than apart.
Kristyn Wilson
University of Virginia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Practice does not make perfect: Experimental evidence on the effectiveness of coaching beginning teachers., Journal of Educational Psychology, July 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/edu0000960.
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