Virtual Professional Development for School Leadership: Designing and Testing a Practical Web-based Simulation for Classroom Observation

Among numerous responsibilities, conducting effective classroom observations is crucial for school leaders. This research explores the perspectives of 23 aspiring and practicing school leaders about their experiences of learning classroom observation skills with LeadWise simulation, an interactive e-learning tool. Qualitative analyses of text data collected via an open-ended survey revealed overall positive perceptions of the simulation training among the participants. The participants benefited from simulation-based professional development and viewed it as an opportunity for ongoing training. They also emphasized the possibility of acquiring practical application experiences in an interactive learning environment. While both groups of school leaders benefited from the simulation, aspiring and less experienced practicing leaders seemed to value the learning opportunities offered by the simulation more than experienced leaders. Yet, all the participants agreed on the significance of well-designed simulations with quality learning materials and expressed their interest in further training using web-based simulations.