‘I Tried to Understand What the Student Really Needs: Using Simulations to Promote a Need-Supporting Dialogical Orientation in Teacher Educators

Based on self-determination theory and principles of simulation-based learning, we present an innovative approach to fostering a need-supporting orientation in dialogues between teacher educators and their students. The need-supporting dialogical orientation has three major components: Empathic perspective-taking, fostering autonomous change motivation, and need-focused self-awareness. Interviews, reflections, and recordings of a simulation-based workshop revealed that participants found the need-supporting orientation personally relevant, understood important aspects of the components of this orientation, and tried to apply them in their practice. Overall, simulation-based learning of a need-supporting dialogical orientation appears to have the potential to deepen and promote educator-student dialogue, collaboration, and growth.