Conference Agenda

Digital media can provide support in adapting lessons to heterogeneous students. For example, they can be used to show learning progress, provide individual support and suggest future learning steps (Fichtner et al., 2023, Schulz, 2018). However, new barriers can also arise that make it more difficult for everyone to participate in lessons. Higher education faces the challenge of preparing teacher trainees for the requirements of diclusive (digital-inclusive) school education and at the same time taking into account the prerequisites of the students in order to enable joint learning for all. It is therefore important to prepare teachers for diclusive eaching (Böttinger & Schulz, 2023). The neologism "diclusion" or "diclusive", which has arisen from the combination of "digital media" and "inclusion", emphasizes the importance of linking these two areas (Schulz & Reber, 2023). In particular, it points to the potential that arises when digital media is used in the context of inclusive teaching. In the context of the previously discussed need for heterogeneity-sensitive use of digital media in the (inclusive) educational environment, it is especially relevant to draw on a comprehensive understanding of inclusion. This understanding is not exclusively aimed at pupils with disabilities, but includes all pupils with their individual starting points, talents, backgrounds and needs (German Commission for UNESCO, 2021, p.1). The use of digital media proves to be an important resource for adequately addressing the different requirements of pupils in the classroom: digital applications can be used, for example, to visualize current learning progress, implement individualized support measures and suggest preventive steps for future learning (Fichtner et al., 2023, Schulz, 2018, Schaumburg, 2021). The five-level model for inclusive teaching (Schulz 2018) represents a methodologically structured approach to the use of digital media in inclusive teaching. The primary goal of this model is to promote inclusive education in order to ensure a comprehensive and equitable educational experience for all pupils so that they can realize their potential. Teachers need the diclusive knowledge for their future work with pupils. So the overarching question is: What skills do (prospective) teachers need to have and how can they be taught as individually as possible? The project "inklusiv.digital" develops OER (Open Educational Resources) materials for students and teachers of various subject didactics as well as central topics for learning and teaching with digital media in inclusive settings. In an interdisciplinary team, experts from the fields of subject didactics, special education, inclusion education and media education develop the modules didactically and prepare them for inclusive teaching settings. The aim is to support initial, further and continuing training in the context of qualifying teachers for inclusive teaching. The modular structure of the learning materials, combined with the flexibility of an open CC-BY license, enables them to be used in various learning formats, such as self-study courses and guided blended learning. The content of the modules provides specific knowledge for dynamic teaching, which is essential for prospective teachers. In addition, they are designed in a way that even people without specific knowledge can understand the content and implement it in their own lessons. The integration of these modules into a nationwide OER platform is planned in order to enable broad and easy access.

Mentoring with the aim of the professional development of preservice teachers in teacher education represents complex practices. The use of tools for mentoring has the potential to enhance mentoring practices; however, research on using tools in mentoring is often focused on applying a single tool or is conducted on a piecemeal basis in teacher education (Nesje & Lejonberg, 2022). By investigating mentors and preservice teachers using research-based tools in an eight-week practicum period, this study analyses structured and holistic mentoring. The applied tools were developed to elicit preservice teachers’ diverse needs at different times throughout the practicum; the three tool-packages build on a a) simulator-based tool, b) response-based tool, and c) video-based tool. Further, the theory of practice architecture (TPA) provided a frame to understand mentoring practices with the holistic use of tools as an interplay among cultural–discursive, material–economic, and social–political arrangements (Kemmis, 2022). This paper presents new insight on how tools can enhance quality in mentoring illuminating the following research question guided: What characterises mentoring practices with the use of tools in a holistic approach to mentoring in practicum in teacher education?

All data provided by the tools are in the PTs’ possession and PTs decide to whom, what, and how they want to share this data, and PTs complete a course in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In the decision simulator, based on Arvola, Samuelsson, Nordvall, and Ragnemalm (2018), the PT is presented with different challenging scenarios that are likely to occur in a classroom; the PTs are required to make choices whose alternative answers are connected to teacher role traits that correspond to authoritarian, authoritative, democratic, and compliant approaches, based on Baumrind (1971/1991). The choices made by the PT eventually generate an overview of the selected approaches to the teacher role that are to be elaborated upon in mentoring.

The response tool combines self-reports from the PTs and pupils’ responses through an electronic survey entered online on topics assumed to denote effective teaching. Based on Tripod’s 7Cs framework (Ferguson & Danielson, 2015; Kuhfeld, 2017; Wallace, Kelcey, & Ruzek, 2016), the PTs and pupils both report on teacher competencies: caring, conferring, captivating, clarifying, consolidating, challenging, and classroom management. Responses are aligned, visualised, and followed up on with guides for elaboration and reflection, and exploration of the tool’s outcome grounds PTs’ choice of the development goal in their teaching practice to be elaborated upon with the video tool.

The video tool consists of a video recording application that the PTs can download to ensure GDPR, as well as guides for preparing, conducting, and elaborating on practice videos individually, with peers, and with the mentor (Kang & van Es, 2019; UiO, 2020). The PTs are encouraged to use insights from the response tool to choose a development goal to enhance their teaching competencies. Guides assists PTs selection of a clip representative to their development goal to be elaborated on in mentoring.

The two investigated dyads are both characterised by the extensive use of tools. However, dyad 1 differed from dyad 2 in terms of the approach towards the usage being more in line with the suggested structure (elaborated on in the presentation of doings) and wording (elaborated on in the presentation of sayings) of the tools. In dyad 2, the suggested structure was approached more creatively and the tools appeared to inspire both structure and content; however, the components of the tools (guides for reflection and conversation) are generally adjusted and wordings rephrased. Findings is presented in accordance with the analytical categories, based on Kemmis (2022) to elaborate on the holistic approach to mentoring with tools.

The use of technology in education has been seen as having great potential to change the process of teaching and learning. Today with the increase of computers and applications in schools, one of the issues worldwide is how to design the courses for preservice teachers to teach with technology. However, research evidence shows that even though teacher educators have developed the courses on the pedagogical use of technology, teachers still lack the skills to successfully teach with technology (Koehler, Mishra and Yahya 2007).

Previous studies have shown that the failure to prepare teachers to teach with technology can be attributed to the following factors. First, some courses were narrowly focused on the use of technology. According to Angeli and Valanides (2016), courses on teaching methods and content are usually taught in complete isolation from the teaching of technology courses, which promotes the development of a highly fragmented body of teacher knowledge. As Koehler and Mishra(2008) proposed the term technological pedagogical content knowledge(TPACK) as a "Total PACKage", teacher educators need to teach technology integration to preservice teachers in a thoughtful and deliberate way. Second, the technologies used in most courses were focused on technologies for teaching (e.g. video, PowerPoint, interactive whiteboard) that could be used as an extension of traditional teaching methods. Mouza (2016) identified four types of emerging technologies that support (a) learning to understand and create; (b)learning by collaborating; (c)anytime, anyplace learning; and (d)learning by gaming and suggested that these have potential to significantly impact teaching and learning processes and outcomes. Now that the focus of educational technology is shifting from tools for how we teach to how students learn, teacher educators need to design the course to help preservice teachers teach effectively with emerging technologies. Third, there is not enough time for preservice teachers to practice teaching with ICT. Most of teacher educators in Japan only engage preservice teachers in micro-teaching, team-teaching, or practice teaching by a team representative within a course due to the large number of enrolled preservice teachers. According to Terashima et al. (2016), preservice teachers who did the micro-teaching gained more confidence in using ICT and improved their lesson plan more than those who did not.

In this study, we design a course for preservice teachers to teach with emerging technologies, analyze how they learn, and get feedback on what supports are helpful for them.