The SIMPROF project advances teacher education by immersing preservice teachers in realistic simulations that capture the complexity of classroom dynamics and ethical dilemmas. The project has developed and implemented four Simulated Practice Designs (SPDs) using multimodal, fragmented narratives delivered through film, text, audio, and web resources. Integrating these SPDs into teacher education invites students to engage, reflect, and build decision-making skills in a safe, interactive environment. Grounded in experiential and constructivist learning theories, these simulations bridge theory and practice, fostering critical thinking and professional growth essential for effective teaching.

Previous research from the project has examined how SPDs function within Norwegian teacher training, which alternates between campus-based lectures, practice periods, and final coursework. In this session, we present a forthcoming study that shifts focus from the broader context to the “inner” dynamics of the SPDs themselves. While we acknowledge meaning-making by teacher students remains central, this study places the SPD as artefact at the forefront, drawing on a theoretical and methodological framework that highlights its intrinsic properties.

Specifically, we apply Bakhtin’s concept of the Chronotope to investigate how two (possibly four) students interact with an SPD structured around a school map, where different scenes from a teacher’s day unfold in various locations. Each room offers a narrative through multimodal resources organized along a timeline. Using Actor-Network Theory (ANT), we treat each room as an actor, revealing distinct elements of teaching practice. The students, also actors in this network, are key to understanding how the simulation’s mechanics shape their aesthetic experiences. To analyze these dynamics, we draw on the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) framework, which models how the design choices and mechanics created by developers are transformed into aesthetic experiences for players.

Keywords: Educational simulations, Gamebased learning, Teacher education, Chronotope.