Transition to Teaching: 3D classroom simulation and management

Despite the widespread efforts towards using games for student learning, little has addressed their use for training of our educators and educational leaders. One exception is the multidiscipline collaboration being developed at Drexel University for training new high school educators to handle classroom situations. As part of a US Department of Education grant program called Transition To Teaching (TTT), Drexel's Digital Media Program collaborated with the Drexel's School of Education to include gaming as a pedagogical strategy in curriculum-based learning. Drexel's Goodwin College of Professional Studies, with its expertise in Creativity & Innovation that includes programs in the field of teacher training, contributed overall project oversight as well instruction in creativity theories and creativity problem solving and their application to grades 5-12 with the Project Teachers. This pedagogy was incorporated by the RePlay Lab's game design teams in the creation of two interactive game simulations for training teachers in classroom management through virtual classroom environments.