Background: Due to recent lockdown conditions, which restricted opportunities for face‐to‐face contact and the ability to be physically in schools, the need for novel, safe ways to train pre‐service teachers emerged even more pressingly. Whilst virtual simulation has received some attention in pedagogy and its benefits have been demonstrated in many disciplines, there appears to be less synthesized evidence on the use of physical and/or mixed‐reality simulation utilized in teacher training.Objectives: The goal of this systematic scoping review was to summarize and synthesize the literature on the use of physical and/or mixed‐reality simulation in pre‐service teacher training.Methods: A systematic scoping literature review combined with a textual narrative synthesis was undertaken. Ten reference databases were searched in May 2020: Academic search premier, CINAHL, Education Research Complete, Humanities International Complete, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, PsycInfo, Teacher Reference Center, Science Direct, Web of Science and Scopus.Results and Conclusions: Following inclusion/exclusion criteria assessment and screening, 13 articles were included for appraisal and synthesis. Seven papers examined physical simulations, while the remainder examined mixed‐reality simulations. The evidence from this review suggests that simulation, including physical and mixed‐reality types, could be used as a tool to increase confidence, self‐efficacy, classroom management skills and communication.Implications: In comparison to other fields (e.g., nursing, medicine and aviation) simulation in education appears to be in its infancy—more large‐scale research is needed. At the same time, this review indicates that mixed‐reality simulation in particular has the potential for contributing to teacher education, because it offers the potential for learning in various contexts when compared to traditional didactic teaching practices.

Objective: In the United Kingdom (UK) and most countries worldwide, midwives are professionally required to undertake an initial perinatal mental health (PMH) risk assessment at every maternity contact. However, studies have found that midwives feel that they are not well-equipped to provide effective care for women with PMH needs. This study explores how the newly qualified midwives (NQMs) are prepared through pre-registration midwifery education and placements to have sufficient confidence in their knowledge, attitude, skills, and habits (KASH) for their post-registration PMH role. Methods: This explanatory sequential mixed methods study collected survey data from two independent groups: NQMs (n = 50), who qualified from 10 UK universities, and senior specialist midwives (SSMs) (n = 32). Descriptive and inferential responses were analysed using SPSS. Statistical differences between the ranged Likert scale responses of the NQMs and SSMs were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test. The p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The semi-structured interview phase comprised of NQMs (n = 12) and SSMs (n = 8). The qualitative data were thematically analysed using NVivo. Results: The pre-registration midwifery programme significantly prepared the NQMs to have sufficient confidence in their knowledge of the related PMH role, multidisciplinary team (MDT) role, and available services (p < 0.05) and good attitude towards women with varying PMH conditions (p < 0.0005). The NQMs had sufficient confidence in their skills in using the validated tool for PMH assessment, to build rapport to facilitate disclosure, and recognise deteriorating PMH (p < 0.01). They had regular habits of discussing PMH well-being at booking and made prompt referrals (p < 0.05). The NQMs were not prepared to have sufficient knowledge of PMH medications, perinatal suicide prevention, and the impact of maternal mental health on partners (p < 0.01) including children (p < 0.05); skills in managing PMH emergencies (p < 0.05), and to regularly discuss suicidal thoughts (p < 0.01), issues of self-harm, and debrief women following pregnancy or neonatal losses and traumatic births (p < 0.05). Some aspects were either confirmed or contradicted at the interviews. Conclusions and recommendations: The pre-registration midwifery programme prepares the NQMs to some extent for their post-registration PMH role. Perceived areas for improvement suggest implications for the development of educational, practice, policy, and preceptorship to facilitate the NQMs’ sustainable confidence in their KASH.

The aim of this pilot case-study was two-fold: to explore the power and voice within small group interactions within a secondary school classroom and to explore the implications of researching one’s own practice as a teacher-researcher. Using Bakhtin’s theories of dialogism, audio recordings of one small group interactions were compared to student independent written work, in order to understand whose voices were used and how. Four main themes were identified: power and authority; positions of submission; silence and the voice of the text. The findings also highlighted how in the midst of teaching we can fail to see these power and identity dynamics; but the time and space of reflective research enables researchers to see beyond the moment and develop the capacity to see their teaching interventions and strategies anew to support the construction of new meaning.

This paper reports the findings of a study which sought to explore the gap between the rhetoric of the Skills for Life (SfL) policy and the reality of implementation from the view point of practitioners. The study assumes the position that an analysis of policy implementation is most fruitful if it took into account varying views as advocated by the post-modernist/behavioural paradigm of implementation gap analysis. Data were collected through the use of a questionnaire supported by a focus group interview from a convenience group of trainee specialist SfL teachers. The study found that practitioners predominantly held the view that there were gaps between the SfL policy elements and the reality of their implementation. It concluded that among several possible reasons for the observed gap, the absence of meaning makers between policy makers and policy implementation might be one of the most significant. The study, therefore, advocated for policy makers to endeavour to include meaning makers in the process of policy making.