Using Technology to Create Simulations that Aid Content Comprehension of Pre-Service Teachers in Karachi

This paper presents a qualitative study on the use of technology to create simulations and other meaningful digital experiences that enhance the content comprehension of pre-service teachers enrolled in a B.Ed. (Hons) program in Karachi, Pakistan. The study focuses on how a mathematics pedagogy course used digital tools for the teaching of mathematical concepts, like GeoGebra, to create interactive simulations to illustrate trigonometric ratios and their relationship to angle measures. It also examines how a social studies pedagogy course used Google Earth and Google Arts & Culture websites to create immersive virtual experiences of historical and geographical concepts. The paper presents the subjective experiences of student-teachers from the aforementioned courses as recipients of this technology-based pedagogy. Student-teachers reported that the simulations, virtual field trips, and other interactive and immersive digital experiences used in their mathematics and social studies pedagogy courses helped them visualise complex ideas and relationships, which strengthened their content comprehension and increased their motivation to learn.