Creating Mixed Reality Scenarios to Assess Danielson’s Fourth Domain

Abstract

This paper describes how a teacher preparation program overcame an identified challenge- limited student access to field placements - by creating an original mixed reality scenario (MRS) that immerses learners in real-time teaching situations. In this case, a virtual Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting that requires special education majors to collaborate as a member of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to establish annual goals and specially designed instruction to meet a fictitious student’s academic, social, or behavioral needs. Student perception surveys were used to determine the authenticity, relevance, and applicability of the MRS. The original tool was found to be an effective performance evaluation to assess skills aligned with Danielson’s fourth domain, Principled Teaching. The components of this domain were previously regarded as a difficult skills to develop and assess in preservice teaching. The use of this MRS redefines teacher preparation by providing authentic learning opportunities for special education majors to practice skills in a professional learning environment that were not previously available to them.