Our project includes an innovative training tool: a VR simulation of teacher-parent conversations. This program includes a several-hour instructional component designed to prepare future teachers for effective communication with parents. The program focuses on developing skills in recognizing parents’ communication attitudes and constructing assertive and effective messages.

The virtual simulation is based on scenarios featuring professional actors who take on the roles of parents. The scenes are designed to reflect emotionally charged and challenging situations, allowing participants to experience realistic communication difficulties. The goal of this solution is to provide pre-service teachers with hands-on experience that cannot be achieved through traditional role-playing in class or during teaching internships, where participation in real difficult conversations with parents is often restricted due to privacy concerns.

Another innovative aspect of our approach lies in allowing participants to make mistakes in a controlled and safe environment. Virtual parent responds appropriately to the teacher’s decisions, enabling users to experience the consequences of their actions. Just as in medicine or aviation—fields where mistakes can have serious consequences—VR simulation in teacher education allows for experiential learning in a way that minimizes risks and maximizes training effectiveness.

Acknowledgement:
This project was created using data from interviews with teachers and parents. It's now being tested in three universities as part of psychology and pedagogy classes for future teachers. The project is supported by a European Union grant (FERS.05.01-IZ.00-0007/23).

Keywords: Pre-service teacher, VR, technology, communication, simulation.