Current Practice

While efforts are being made to integrate coding and computational thinking into K-12 teacher training, instruction on designing accessible software is often overlooked. To introduce accessibility into training for future teachers, the authors modified a 1st-year seminar for education to include the topic of accessibility through simulation games in a digital literacy module. They tested their approach using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest nonequivalent groups with additional comparison groups. They surveyed 25 students across two sections of the course (one experimental and one control) and analyzed assignment data from 70 students across five sections (the original experimental and control groups along with an additional control group of three more sections). They found that preservice teachers who learned about accessibility developed greater empathy for people with disabilities and a better understanding of the software challenges they face. This was not true for the control group. Similarly, preservice teachers in the experimental group showed an increased desire to teach both accessibility and digital literacy. There was a significant difference in their inclusion of accessibility features in their final project, suggesting that accessibility training can influence education students to prioritize accessibility for an extended period.

TeachLivE/Mursion mixed-reality simulations (MRS) are the most popular simulation platforms currently used in teacher preparation programs, and the field is rapidly moving toward automating these simulations using AI. However, this rapid series of developments leaves many questions regarding privacy and equity unanswered. The current paper presents a scoping literature review analyzing how TeachLivE and Mursion MRS teacher training designers address equity and criticality in these simulations, highlighting critical design principles to inform future MRS implementations.

This action research study explored the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in four teacher education courses (graduate and undergraduate) within a college of education. The article reviews current literature on AI in education and discusses results from both instructors’ and students’ perspectives. The findings highlight the benefits and challenges of AI integration, including its impact on students’ learning experiences and perceptions. Undergraduate students found AI tools helpful for improving writing and grammar, while graduate students used AI to support research and curriculum development. The study emphasized the importance of ethical AI use, clear guidance from instructors, and the creation of a supportive culture of inquiry. By modeling AI tools and encouraging reflective practice, educators can enhance the learning experience and prepare future teachers to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in education.

Supplemental teaching materials from online sources such as Teachers Pay Teachers proliferate the educational landscape. Understanding how teachers use these tools is key to improving teacher education. This paper reports on an exploratory qualitative study that captured the perspectives of six early career elementary teachers on the supplemental teaching materials available on Teachers Pay Teachers. Semistructured think-aloud interviews illuminate tensions related to teachers’ landscapes of practice, institutional mistrust, perceived authoritativeness of sellers, curriculum marketplaces as altruistic platforms, and managing finite resources. Findings suggest that professionals who work with preservice and in-service elementary teachers must reframe their discussion of curriculum marketplaces toward developing teachers’ critical curriculum cultivation practices. Such reframing has the potential to influence the ways educators at all levels make use of online curriculum marketplaces, what resources they download, and how those resources are employed.