Approximating Teaching: A Systematic Review of the Research

Teacher candidates (“candidates”) need opportunities for practice during teacher preparation so they can enact equitable, responsive instruction as soon as they enter classrooms. Theory suggests candidates can benefit from “approximating” aspects of teaching in reduced-complexity settings like role-plays, rehearsals, and simulations, where they can receive more support than they might in clinical placements, without risking harm to real students. However, the field needs more clarity about how to leverage approximations in effective and efficient ways that promote candidate learning. To determine which supports contribute to candidate learning from approximations, we systematically reviewed 26 studies that include measures of learning following approximations. We examine the contexts and conditions in which approximations are helpful, with which supports, and toward which goals. Although 23 studies find candidates improve after approximations, there are numerous methodological issues with the research base that limit the claims we can make about the affordances and constraints of different approaches to approximation. Absent empirical clarity, we offer a range of hypotheses we argue can and should be tested systematically through coordinated research efforts. We conclude by suggesting common definitions and variables for future, more systematic research of approximations of teaching.