Teacher Education in the Generative Virtual Classroom: Developing Learning Theories through a Web-Delivered, Technology-and-Science Education Context

Overview & Synopsis

This paper reports the use of a research-based, web-delivered, technology-and-science education context (the Generative Virtual Classroom) in which student-teachers can develop their ability to recognize, describe, analyse and theorize learning. Addressing well-recognized concerns about narrowly conceived, anachronistic and ineffective technology-and-science education, this e-learning environment aims to use advanced technologies for learning, to bring about larger scale improvement in classroom practice than has so far been effected by direct intervention through teacher education. Student-teachers' short, intensive engagement with the Generative Virtual Classroom during their practice teaching is examined. Findings affirm the worth of this research-based e-learning system for teacher education and the power of a biologically based, generative theory to make sense of the learning that occurred. (Contains 3 notes.)