Pace and Ossining schools partner in teacher training

The Ossining Union Free School District and Pace University School of Education have launched a two-year partnership to train teachers in their early careers using an innovative virtual-classroom technology implemented by Pace at its Pleasantville and New York City campuses.

The program for novice educators with one to two years”™ experience is funded by a $537,625 Strengthening Teacher and Leadership Effectiveness grant awarded last year by the state to the Ossining school district.

Working with mentor teachers, novices in the profession will use a trademarked TeachLive avatar technology to develop and refine their instructional skills, a Pace University spokesman said in a press release. The educational tool functions like a flight simulator that uses student avatars in a virtual classroom.

The avatars can give teachers a realistic experience of dealing with different students and learning styles in one classroom. The technology can also be used to simulate parent-teacher conferences and bilingual instruction.

Joan Walker, associate professor at the Pace University School of Education, in the announcement said the interactive technology “now makes simulation a part of teachers”™ professional development” just as it has long been used to train soldiers, doctors and other professionals. “It”™s a modern bridge across the age-old gap between teacher preparation and teacher practice,” she said.

Teachers in the program began after-school lab workshop sessions this month in Ossining. A second phase is planned in August during the school district”™s teacher orientation. The joint initiative will continue into 2015.

The TeachLive technology was developed by the University of Central Florida. The Pace School of Education is one of 25 sites in the country using it to train teacher candidates in its undergraduate and graduate programs.