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This chapter delves into the design of simulations based on literature that can be taught in secondary school. The main objective of the present fieldwork is to determine whether designing simulations is effective in introducing teacher trainees to the use of simulations in secondary education and build mindful global awareness over the issue of human rights. To achieve this, the flipped learning model is followed in which literary pieces and videos are read and analyzed on the part of the teacher trainees outside of class whereas practice, discussion, and simulation design are done in class. The findings of the qualitative analysis of postgraduate students’ perceptions are presented. Results show that the postgraduate students participating in the design of simulations based on reading texts on human rights find simulations as powerful tools to promote human rights and social consciousness.

This chapter examines how lesson study is reported with pre-service teachers in initial teacher education programmes. Different voices are included talking about the ways in which lesson study has been reported in various settings so far. The chapter concludes with a qualitative study of student-teachers’ reflections drawn from their reports, written after finalising the lesson study cycle at the Universidad Católica de Valencia. The analysis provides support for the premise that lesson study significantly promotes research in ITE and develops a more critical approach to literature about pedagogy and good practice in teaching.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of pre-service teachers (PSTs) who used lesson study on a five-week school-based teaching placement. The paper analyses 12 undergraduate PSTs’ perceptions of the way lesson study affected classroom-based teaching of English as a foreign language to pre-school and primary school.

A qualitative study is carried out from the responses to a semi-structured interview to the PSTs, and written responses to the open-ended question: What are your perceptions of lesson study?

This paper provides empirical insights about the way lesson study reinforced the PSTs’ classroom management and lesson planning skills. The case-pupils’ responses to the PSTs’ questions post-treatment indicated that games and active techniques in the classroom led to high retention of the taught content. Nevertheless, PSTs’ evaluations of pupils’ learning outcomes require further development. These evaluations often resulted in vague perceptions of overall lesson performance.

This study provides hints of how case-pupils better learned and how PSTs did the observations and performed. However, the results cannot be generalized.

The researchers sustain that the teaching degrees should encourage critical thinking in PSTs’ self-evaluations to reduce the focus on standards and expectations. It is believed that if the pressure of designing perfect lessons is removed from the equation, and instead, sensible and realistic lessons are planned, PSTs will be more inclined to learn and respond resourcefully, creatively, and resolutely to classroom situations.

This chapter presents Virtual Exchange (VE) and Simulation as a pedagogical strategy to train pre-service teachers. Through VE, students–teachers from geographically distant locations come together with the aim of participating in a simulation. The simulation, in turn, presents a scenario and highlights several educational challenges that pre-service teachers must solve collaboratively. In so doing it, language skills, digital competence, and intercultural competence are developed. This chapter offers an overview of Virtual Exchange + Simulation, presents a complete simulation in case other teachers want to replicate the experience, and presents some of the most relevant findings out of the experience.

The strictest definition of teaching and learning is no longer what it used to be with innovation becoming an important component of classroom teaching. The fact that classroom teaching has moved beyond the walls and to the homes of students confined to hand-held device or their computer is in itself a rare feat that academics couldn’t imagine even a few years ago. Innovation in teaching and learning is bringing qualitative change in higher education along with quantitative expansion. Changes are essential part of teaching and learning as it helps in improving the quality and equity in creating learning opportunities for students. Teaching and learning have been undergoing rapid changes and is never considered to be a change averse sector; however, in certain parts of the world, the acceptance toward change has been very slow and they are lagging behind in adopting technology, improving efficiency, and productivity and the quality standard of education.

The book volume highlights some interesting interventions practiced around the world by higher education instructors who were forced to make necessary changes in the conversion from face-to-face instruction to the use of online and virtual platforms owing to COVID pandemic. Instructors took help of modern technology and used virtual exchange platform to create meaningful classroom discussions and lively interactions between learners and faculty. Quality assurance was a priority with regular monitoring of students’ interaction, performance, and involvement in a class. Changes in a conventional way of teaching are the need of the hour and technology is expected to bring some radical improvement in this field.

Whereas most societal commentators continue to review the historical patterns of men’s leadership in search of models for 21st-century success, few have begun to recognize, let alone appreciate, the equivalent patterns of women’s leadership and the future contributions that women could potentially make as leaders. What could and are women bringing to society as global leaders? Why at this moment in history is there such a marked increase in the number of women leaders? Are we entering an era in which both male and female leaders will shape history, both symbolically and in reality? And if so, will we discover that women, on average, lead in different ways than men, or will we learn that role (global leader) explains more than gender? This chapter reveals the accelerating trends of women joining men in senior leadership positions, establishes the relationship of women leaders to our overall understanding of global leadership, and sets forth an agenda to accomplish much needed research and understanding.