An increasing, international problem is that many teachers leave the profession shortly after qualifying.  Several researchers assert that it is an analytical ability that is a tool for interpreting unexpected situations that pre-service teachers need to develop during their teacher education.  One way that teacher training can help develop the students’ analytical capacity is via critical reflection and it is already being done in several ways. Reflection is seen as means to increase professionalism by increasing awareness of their own frames of reference (concepts, values and theories), and allowing them to compare them with other perspectives. Via such reflection pre-service teachers can realize that their own frames of reference will affect the way they deal with situations and events in the classroom.  Several professions have for a long time, both for training purposes and in the educating professionals, used computer simulations.

The aim of this paper is therefor to study pre-service teachers’ conversations about simulated school- and classroom dilemmas within teacher education. This is done in order to understand and illuminate opportunities and constraints with the use of simulations to support development of reflection. The theoretical framework is primarily based on a socio-cultural perspective drawn from Vygotskian and Neo-Vygotskian theories. The research questions are as follows:

1. In what ways do pre-service teachers engage in conversations about a

simulated school dilemma and how do they perceive the authenticity of the simulation?

2. How do they use the simulation and instructional questions in the

conversation?

3. In what ways do pre-service teachers reflect in conversations about

simulated school dilemmas?

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