Abstract:

The reading literacy crisis amongst learners in countries throughout the world and in South Africa seems to be reaching pandemic levels. Similarly, students applying to education faculties are among the academically weakest applicants to any faculty. Hence, the quality of teaching and the preparation that pre-service teachers receive at initial teacher education institutions, specifically related to teaching reading, is under the spotlight. The integration of mixed reality simulation environments, such as Mursion, in teacher education programs offers a transformative approach to preparing pre-service teachers. Mixed reality simulations (MRS) provide a safe, controlled, and realistic platform where pre-service teachers, both contact and distance students, can practice core reading literacy pedagogical skills in various languages. The aim of the presentation is to address the following research questions: Why was MRS implemented within language and literacy modules (i.e., reading) in a B.Ed. program, and how did the integration of mixed reality simulation facilitate the “re-building” of the language and literacy modules?

Sociocultural theory, specifically work on communities of practice, informs the design of this study. A proactive action research design is used to integrate mixed reality simulation into language and literacy modules. Data collection methods included professional conversations, WhatsApp voice notes and video calls, reflective journal entries and reflections on observing video recordings of lesson segments in the MRS environment. The data was analyzed using content analysis. The main themes emanating from the data included: planning and preparation, content-method integration, pedagogies of enactment, assessment, resources and feedback. I conclude by sharing insights for faculty leaders, and curriculum designers, contributing to informed decisions regarding integrating and potentially upscaling mixed reality simulation within language and literacy modules in ITE programs.

Keywords:

Mixed reality simulation, initial teacher education, reading literacy.